New Jersey Governor says State is ‘Within Weeks’ of Selling Recreational Cannabis to Adults

NEW JERSEY – After missing the February 22nd deadline, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy says the state is just weeks away from finally selling recreational cannabis to adults.

According to a report by NJ.com, Gov. Murphy told listeners during his radio show that cannabis will be available for purchase for adults over the age of 21 by the end of March.

“They’ve got to prove they’ve got the supply for their medical customers. I hope shortly thereafter, the standalone recreational marijuana operators.,” Gov. Murphy said of medical cannabis dispensaries hoping to open up to recreational users as soon as possible.

The organization responsible for regulating cannabis, The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission, admits they missed the Tuesday deadline because they are still reviewing license applications. The commission’s Executive Director, Jeff Brown, believes the hold up is due to a lack of municipal buy-in from local communities.

Lack of support, along with supply uncertainties, are keeping growers and sellers from obtaining the permission to sell recreational cannabis.

“It’s the priority of the CRC to get recreational sales started as soon as we can, but we have to do it in a way that’s compliant with the law. We need the industry to get there,” said Brown.

The state voted overwhelmingly for the legalization of recreational marijuana in 2020. Since then, a number of legislative roadblocks have prevented retailers from selling to adults. Medical marijuana providers have threatened to lay off employees and destroy product if they are not able to serve to recreational users soon.

The commission is set to meet again on March 24th.

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