SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Cannabis regulators in New Jersey announced some rules for the state's nascent recreational marijuana market on Thursday, but they did not say when sales will actually begin.
As the application process to get cannabis business licenses opens, minority groups, women, disabled veterans and other economically disadvantaged communities will be given priority consideration.
The N.J. Cannabis Regulatory Commission says the driving force behind these new rules is equity. They say people in communities that have been historically overpoliced and disproportionately targeted and punished in the enforcement of marijuana laws should now get put at the front of the line to profit from its legal sale.
For that reason, the commissioners say some barriers to entry into the market have been removed. Application fees are as low as $100 to encourage small, local business owners to get involved instead of big national corporations.
However, there is still no timeline for when sales will begin. It has been nearly a year since voters overwhelmingly approved recreational marijuana in the Garden State.
Members of the commission says their focus right now is to ensure the application process goes smoothly.
Background checks will be done on applicants, but a criminal record will not necessarily prevent someone from being approved.
The new rules also limit the number of growers in the state to 37 for the next two years. There is no cap on other types of licenses.