New Jersey regulators doubled the number of medical marijuana dispensaries that can operate in the state, adding six more for a total of 12.
The move could help alleviate a product shortage that arose from a growing patient pool amid limited business licenses.
According to NJ.com, the state’s health department revealed it will allow the following companies to grow, process and sell medical cannabis:
- NETA NJ (Phillipsburg)
- GTI New Jersey (Paterson)
- Verano NJ (Elizabeth) plus a grow facility (Rahway)
- Justice Grown (Ewing)
- MPX New Jersey (Atlantic City) plus a grow facility (Galloway)
- Columbia Care New Jersey (Vineland)
In order to begin cultivating and selling medical marijuana, the winning applicants must now prove they have municipal approval, pass background checks and comply with all health department regulations, including security requirements.
The state’s medical marijuana patient pool has more than doubled this year, as roughly 20,000 patients have been added to bring the total to nearly 40,000.
The growth in the patient count was spurred by an expanded list of medical conditions doctors could consult when recommending medical marijuana.
According to NJ.com, the state’s MMJ supply shortage will likely persist until spring 2019, the earliest the new businesses will have product on the market.
