Marijuana Business Magazine - January 2017

Questions Remain To be sure, rec legalization by the New Jersey Legislature is not a certainty. If it does happen, a big question would be the type of indus- try lawmakers allow. Would it be an open market, for example, with every business license applicant receiving a permit as long as he or she meets certain criteria? Such a system would be in line with what Alaska, California, Colo- rado and Oregon have implemented. By contrast, many medical cannabis states – including New Jersey – have specific license caps, allowing only a handful of growers, retailers and other plant-touching business types. The bill on the table now in New Jersey leaves many such questions unanswered. It includes provi- sions that would give regulators the authority to decide whether to license only one retailer per county, or more than that. Lawmakers would have to iron out such details before they deliver a bill to Murphy’s desk. The earliest that would happen – since Murphy won’t take office for- mally until mid-January – is probably February or March. One Advocate’s Viewpoint One longtime New Jersey cannabis activist, Evan Nison, told Marijuana Business Magazine that he believes the legislature has long leaned toward an open market-style approach. He noted that one version of New Jersey's 2010 MMJ law originally was patterned after Colorado’s program, which never had license caps. But internal state political wran- gling changed that, and New Jersey ended up allowing just six dispen- saries for the entire state. (If rec passes, the biggest industry winners currently look to be New Jersey's six MMJ licensees, who would likely get first crack at adult-use business permits.) Either way, New Jersey is poised to make a big splash in the MJ industry in coming years – assuming Murphy can deliver on his promise to legalize adult-use cannabis. From all current signs, it looks as if he will. ◆ January 2018 • Marijuana Business Magazine • 35