Although New Jersey missed a Feb. 22 deadline set by regulators to kick-start adult-use marijuana sales in the state, the launch isn’t far off, Gov. Phil Murphy predicted this week.
“We are within weeks – I would hope in March – you would see implicit movement on the medical dispensaries, some of them being able to sell recreational,” Murphy said during a radio show, NJ.com reported.
The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC), however, has yet to sign off on recreational sales for any of the state’s 23 operational medical marijuana dispensaries – in part because the agency is waiting for local authorities to signal their approval for adult-use businesses.
City officials must provide written confirmation that they’re in support of recreational sales within their borders before any licensed MMJ dispensary can begin selling adult-use products, NJ.com reported.
Those confirmations have been slow to be submitted.
“One of the biggest deficiencies we’re seeing is a lack of municipal approval,” Jeff Brown, the CRC’s executive director, said at a January meeting.
State rules require the commission to vote publicly on any applications for adult-use retail licenses, but no such applications are on the agenda for the CRC’s meeting on Feb. 24, NJ.com reported.
The agency’s next meeting is set for March 24.
