New Jersey’s High Ambitions: A Humorous Take on the State’s Cannabis Situation

New Jersey’s Governor, Phil Murphy, is on a mission to make the Garden State greener than ever before. He’s not talking about planting more trees, but rather, he’s got his sights set on a different kind of greenery – cannabis. You see, Governor Murphy wants to add a whopping 100 dispensaries to New Jersey’s medical cannabis program, which currently has a measly six operational retailers. That’s like going from a tiny backyard garden to a full-blown botanical garden overnight!

This proposal comes on the heels of the legislature’s failure to pass adult-use legislation, according to a report from the Asbury Park Press. But Murphy isn’t letting that slow him down. He’s planning to take the state’s cannabis program from a small, boutique operation to a Costco-sized extravaganza with a total of 108 dispensaries. That’s right, 108! From the current six active ones and another six that are just sitting around twiddling their thumbs, waiting to open.

This expansion is part of a larger bill, the Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act. And let me tell you, this bill is like the Swiss Army knife of cannabis legislation. It’s got everything: reducing the number of annual doctor visits for patients, increasing the amount of cannabis they can buy per visit, phasing out the state sales tax on cannabis by the New Year (Happy New Year indeed!), allowing home delivery (yes, you read that right), and setting a goal of awarding 15 percent of licenses to minority business owners and another 15 percent for veterans, women, and disabled folks.

This bill managed to pass both legislative chambers last month, but the legislature needs to iron out some amendments before it goes to the governor. It’s kind of like ordering a pizza but arguing over the toppings.

Murphy’s administration is currently accepting applications for up to 24 cultivators, 30 manufacturers, and 54 dispensaries with 38 in northern New Jersey, 38 in the central region, and 32 in the southern part of the state.

In the words of Governor Murphy himself, “It will mean an enormous difference for patients. We have a demand-supply imbalance.” That’s like saying there’s a shortage of pizza in Italy.

Previously, the administration expanded the state’s medical cannabis qualifying conditions list, and the legislature is considering a bill to expunge low-level cannabis convictions. Senate President Stephen Sweeny, the governor’s Democratic colleague, hinted that the state might put the recreational legalization issue to voters in 2020 after the reforms stalled out in the legislature. So, stay tuned, New Jerseyans, because it’s about to get a lot greener in the Garden State!