New Jersey is Officially Open for Adult-use Cannabis Business: Application Periods Announced
By Michelle Bodian, Jennifer Cabrera, Brandon Kurtzman
Nov 10, 2021
Eight months after New Jersey’s Governor signed the Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act into law, we now have an application timeline for adult-use licenses. At last night’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) meeting, the commissioners approved the Notice of Application Acceptance, posted here.
Timing
Applications will be released in two phases:
- Applications for Cultivators, Manufacturers, and Testing Laboratories will be accepted beginning December 15, 2021 at 9 a.m. ET.
- Applications for Retailers will be accepted beginning March 15, 2022 at 9 a.m. ET.
Submission Format
Applications will be accepted through an application portal which will be posted on CRC’s website.
Scoring Criteria
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and scored on a pass/fail system.
All applications deemed complete will receive full points. Incomplete applications will be rejected and given the opportunity to re-submit.
The order of application review is:
- Social equity
- Diversely-owned
- Impact zone applicants
- Applicants with "bonus points" from collective bargaining agreements, project labor agreements, or residency of 5 years or more
- All other applicants
Conditional applications will be prioritized over annual, and microbusiness applications will be prioritized over standard business applications.
Cultivation License Cap
Cultivation applications are also subject to this rolling acceptance, pass/fail, and order of review. Notably, the 37 license cap before February 23, 2022 is still in effect.
Additional Information
The CRC will publish additional information regarding Impact Zones and Economically Disadvantaged Areas. A pre-application webinar will be held on November 30, 2021.
If you have questions or are interested in learning more about licensing opportunities in New Jersey, please contact our New Jersey office at newjersey@vicentesederberg.com or 856-249-0418.
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