Recreational weed is now legal in New Jersey. Here’s a full list of where you can buy it

SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — It’s the day after 4/20, but cannabis enthusiasts are still lighting up with glee.

Thursday marks the official start of recreational marijuana sales across New Jersey, a shift that was years in the making. It’s been about a year since the state’s regulatory commission started operating, and a year and a half since voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot question to allow recreational marijuana for people 21 and older.

New Jersey and 17 other states, along with the District of Columbia, have legalized recreational marijuana. Thirty-seven states, including New Jersey, have legalized medical marijuana. New Jersey’s recreational sales started ahead of New York, where sales are not expected to begin until the end of the year.

Neighboring Pennsylvania has medical cannabis but not recreational. Some cities, including Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, have passed ordinances to decriminalize marijuana or make it a low law enforcement priority. Legislation to permit recreational marijuana in Delaware was defeated last month in the Legislature.

To get approval in the first place, the state’s alternative treatment centers agreed that the coming influx of recreational buyers won’t interrupt access for medical patients. The facilities said they would reserve parking spaces for patients and keep hours specifically for patients only.

The South Jersey region has the most dispensaries of the state so far:

Egg Harbor Township
The Botanist, 100 Century Drive

Williamstown
The Botanist, 2090 N. Blackhorse Pike

Deptford
The Cannabist/Columbia Care, 1692 Clements Bridge Road

Vineland
The Cannabist/Columbia Care, 1062 North Delsea Drive

Bellmawr
Curaleaf, 640 Creek Road

Edgewater Park
Curaleaf, 4237 US-130 South

Thirteen locations are open in total. North and Central Jersey dispensaries include:

—Apothecarium, 1865 Springfield Ave., Maplewood
—Apothecarium, 55 South Main St., Phillipsburg
—Ascend Wellness, 174 Route 17 North, Rochelle Park
—RISE, 26-48 Bloomfield Ave., Bloomfield
—RISE, 196 3rd Ave., #3C, Paterson
—Zen Leaf, 117 Sprint St., Elizabeth
—Zen Leaf, 3256 Brunswick Pike, Lawrence Township

Related

New Jersey’s recreational marijuana open to anyone 21 and older — including cops

Check the stores’ websites for specific operating hours. Some, like Cannabist/Columbia Care in Deptford and Vineland, will be open only for medical patients during set hours of the day, while recreational purchases can be made in the evening.

If you are planning to purchase marijuana products at any one of these dispensaries, make sure you have enough cash on you or you may be out of luck. Credit card companies are not allowing sales of recreational marijuana, even in states where it is legal, because they do not want to violate federal laws, according to NJ.com. You may be able to use a debit card at some locations, or they might have an ATM available on site, but it's better to call to make sure first.

Stores are expected to be busy, especially on opening day, so plan accordingly. And if you’re coming from, say, out of state, keep traffic and bridge tolls in mind, and KYW Newsradio’s Traffic Team always has you covered on delays:

—Ben Franklin
—Betsy Ross
—Burlington-Bristol
—Commodore John Barry
—Dingmans Ferry
—New Hope-Lambertville
—Tacony-Palmyra
—Walt Whitman
—Delaware Memorial
—Scudder Falls

However, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission warns that crossing state lines with cannabis products is illegal. Also worth noting from the Commission, recreational cannabis customers in New Jersey cannot purchase more than 1 oz. of dried flower or up to 5 grams of concentrates, resins or oils, or 10 100mg packages of ingestible items in a single transaction. And they legally cannot possess more than 1 oz. at any time.

The Commission released a statement Thursday evening claiming smooth sailing for the state's first day of legal sales.

"While lines were long in some locations, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission has had to investigate only a few minor complaints. No significant patient access issues or supply shortages have been reported," wrote Toni-Anne Blake, the Commission's director of communications.

There are about 130,000 medical marijuana patients in New Jersey, with an estimated roughly 800,000 potential recreational consumers, and fewer than 800,000 estimated “tourism” consumers, according to the commission.

How much tax revenue New Jersey gets from recreational marijuana isn’t clear. Gov. Phil Murphy’s fiscal year 2023 budget, which is pending before the Democrat-led Legislature, estimates revenues of just $19 million in a nearly $49 billion budget. In 2019, as the legalization of recreational marijuana was still just pending before voters, he had estimated about $60 million in revenue.

Legislation governing the recreational market calls for the 6.625% sales tax to apply, with 70% of the proceeds going to areas disproportionately affected by marijuana-related arrests. Black residents were likelier — up to three times as much — to face marijuana charges than white residents. Towns can also levy a tax of up to 2%.

Meanwhile Republican Sen. Michael Testa, representing Atlantic and Cape May counties, amplified a note of caution from New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Association President Pat Colligan in a recent Politico article.

Saying there are “too many unanswered questions from the state regarding the use of recreational cannabis by off-duty officers that could result in negative consequences," Colligan advised all cops to be very careful.

"We’re not really taking a hard yes or no position. We’re just saying we don’t want anyone to be the test case. This is really murky ground. … Let’s be careful about it," he said.

“If the very people who enforce our laws in New Jersey are concerned about the many legal ramifications for recreational pot use by their members, it should give us all pause," Testa wrote in response. "This reckless and short-sighted law and Phil Murphy’s continuing ignorance about how our federal system of government works will likely cause an unsuspecting citizen to suffer real and long-lasting legal consequences. Federal law precludes a user of marijuana from owning a gun. That is something that the legalization proponents likely never considered."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.