New Jersey Exceeds Slated Cannabis Licenses to Minority- or Women-Owned Companies

The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission last week licensed 14 new medical cannabis businesses after a lawsuit brought the process to a standstill for more than two years, ROI-NJ reports. The licenses were part of a 2019 application round, which included about 200 applicants.

All of the businesses approved last week are certified minority- or women-owned and 10 of the awarded licenses were for cultivation — twice what was originally planned by the commission. The increase is likely due to the passage of adult-use cannabis laws in the state and the need to increase cultivation capacity for eventual retail sales.

New Jersey CannaBusiness Association President Edmund DeVeaux told ROI-NJ that the action moves the state “one step closer to issuing applications for the first round of adult-use licenses.”

“This is an exciting day, both for the awardees and for progress in the cannabis space. …  Like many, we await that day with eager anticipation and look forward to helping future adult-use license holders as well.” — DeVeaux to ROI-NJ

The 10 growers approved by the commission, include Bloom Medicinals of PA; CYOURNJ; Garden State Releaf; Green Medicine NJ; GSCC Management; Hillview Med; the NAR Group; NJ Nectar Ventures; Noble Valley Harvest Co.; and ZY Labs.

The remaining four companies — Altus New Jersey, Etain NJ, Greenhouse Wellness of NJ, and Holistic NJ — were awarded licenses allowing them to cultivate, manufacture, and dispense medical cannabis.