The legal right to grow marijuana at home apparently will not apply to cannabis consumers in New Jersey once the state’s adult-use market launches.
Incoming state Senate President Nick Scutari Scutari said he “did not see (home grow) happening right now” because permitting home cultivation would only further the illicit cannabis market.
Scutari made his anti-home grow comments during a recent webinar hosted by the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association, according to the Asbury Park Press.
“I’m not against marijuana being grown at home for medical purposes and maybe even just recreational purposes,” Scutari said during the webinar.
“But we’ve got to let this industry … it’s not even off the ground yet.”
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Under New Jersey law, recreational marijuana sales are supposed to begin by mid-February. But the launch is running behind schedule.
The question of home cultivation is quickly turning into a dividing line between marijuana businesses and activists, with legal operators often more interested about protecting market share and minimizing home grows.
Cannabis activists, meanwhile, argue in favor of the right of medical marijuana patients to cultivate their own medicine.
Scutari didn’t close the door on home cultivation, the Asbury Park Press reported, but he said he expects that if the activity is permitted in New Jersey, it will be tightly regulated to ensure there’s minimal diversion to the illegal market.
