Open A Dispensary In New Jersey- Dispensary Permit Consulting

Status: In New Jersey, individuals 21+ may possess and use marijuana, and registered patients may possess and use medical marijuana. State licensed businesses may grow, process, transport, and dispense marijuana.

CBD Program	Medical Program	Recreational Program	Are Applications Open?
Legal	Legal	Not legal	closed

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The New Jersey marijuana program is coming- to get in the best position right now, learn what is involved in the application process.

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Number of New Jersey Marijuana Business Licenses Licenses Available

Dispensaries	Cultivation	Manufacturing/Processing	Transportation
0	0	0	0

Every state has different marijuana laws- they are regulated by state, not federal law. Some states allow marijuana for recreational and medical use, some states only allow medical use, and some only allow certain low THC products for medical use. Most states limit the number of licenses they will grant and the window to apply for them. Getting licenced is never simple- there are very specific requirements and guidelines that differ by state and its usually highly competitive, which is why most successful applicants work with consultants like Dispensary Permits to help guide them. We highly advise you read the guidelines below thoroughly and then consider working with a consultant or using our templates and guides.
You can read the full text of the New Jersey Marijuana Business Licenses law at: New Jersey Department of Health Website

New Jersey Medical Marijuana Cultivation License Guidelines

As the program was established in 2010, a vertically-integrated Alternative Treatment Center license authorized a licensee to cultivate, process, and dispense medical marijuana for registered patients. The state awarded six ATCs in 2011, and an additional six ATCs in 2018.

With the submission of an executive order from Governor Phil Murphy in May 2019, Alternative Treatment Center (ATC) licenses may now have specialty endorsements for cultivation, processing, or dispensing.

ATC, Cultivation Endorsement – a permit endorsement that allows an ATC to possess, cultivate, plant, grow, harvest, and package usable marijuana (including in pre-rolled forms); and display, transfer, transport, distribute, supply, or sell marijuana to other ATCs, but not directly to registered qualifying patients.

- Cultivation endorsements are tiered by canopy size to allow for small, medium, and large business participation. the Department will seek to issue cultivation endorsements in the following tiers of canopy size:
  - 20,001 square feet to 30,000 square feet: up to 2 cultivation endorsements
  - 5,001 square feet to 20,000 square feet: up to 2 cultivation endorsements
  - Up to 5,000 square feet: up to 1 cultivation endorsement.

Application Fees: All applications require a $20,000 application fee in the form of two payments, one $18,000 check and one $2,000 check. If an application is unsuccessful, the Department will keep the $2,000 check and destroy the $18,000 check.

Applications were due August 22, 2019, and the Department is not seeking additional cultivation endorsements at this time.

RECOMMENDED NEW JERSEY MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR CULTIVATION APPLICATION:

New Jersey Medical Marijuana Manufacturer License Guidelines

ATC, Manufacturing Endorsement – a permit endorsement that allows an ATC to possess and process usable marijuana; purchase usable marijuana from other ATCs possessing a cultivating endorsement; manufacture products containing marijuana approved by the Department; conduct research and develop products containing marijuana for approval by the Department; and to display, transfer, transport, distribute, supply, or sell marijuana and products containing marijuana to other ATCs, but not directly to registered qualifying patients.

The Department is not seeking manufacturing endorsements at this time.

RECOMMENDED NEW JERSEY MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR MANUFACTURER APPLICATION:

New Jersey Medical Marijuana Dispensary License Guidelines

ATC, Dispensary Endorsement – a permit endorsement that allows an ATC to purchase usable marijuana and products containing marijuana from other ATCs authorized to cultivate or manufacture usable marijuana or products containing marijuana; and possess, display, supply, sell, and dispense, usable marijuana and/or products containing marijuana, to registered qualifying patients.

Applications are due August 21, 2019, and the Department is not seeking additional dispensary endorsements at this time.

RECOMMENDED NEW JERSEY MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR DISPENSARY APPLICATION:

New Jersey Medical Marijuana Vertically Integrated ATC License Guidelines

Vertically Integrated Permit – means a permit issued by the Department that includes a cultivation endorsement, a manufacturing endorsement, and a dispensary endorsement.

Applications were due August 22, 2019, and the Department is not seeking additional vertically integrated permits at this time.

RECOMMENDED NEW JERSEY MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR DISPENSARY APPLICATION:

The History of New Jersey Marijuana Business Licenses Marijuana

Recreational Marijuana Overview:
On December 16, 2019, the New Jersey Assembly and Senate committees passed a resolution approving the question of recreational marijuana legalization to be put before voters on the November 2020 ballot.

The ballot measure would add an amendment to the state constitution that legalizes the recreational use of marijuana for persons age 21 and older and legalizes the cultivation, processing, and sale of retail marijuana. The constitutional amendment would take effect on January 1, 2021.

A new five-member Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) would be responsible for regulating the cultivation, processing, and sale of recreational marijuana. The ballot measure would apply the state sales tax (6.625 percent) to recreational marijuana but prohibit additional state sales taxes. The state legislature would be authorized to allow local governments to enact an additional 2 percent sales tax on recreational marijuana.

As expected, on November 3, 2020, New Jersey voters successfully passed the resolution to legalize adult-use of marijuana in the state. The question passed with 67% of voters in favor of legalization, a turnout that was almost exactly predicted by polls leading up to election day. Lawmakers have been working on a bill that will establish regulations for the new market and anticipate quickly passing the bill.

Regulating Departments: A new commission known as the Cannabis Regulatory Commission will be formed.

Medical Marijuana Overview:
In 2010, New Jersey legalized medical marijuana use for registered patients suffering from qualifying medical conditions. Patients obtain medical marijuana from an Alternative Treatment Center (ATC). The state awarded six ATCs in 2011, and an additional six ATCs in 2018.

On March 27, 2018, Gov. Phil Murphy made the following immediate changes to New Jersey’s current Medical Marijuana program:

- Anxiety, migraines, Tourette’s syndrome, chronic pain related to musculoskeletal disorders and chronic visceral pain were added as qualifying conditions
- The patient fee was reduced 50%
- The existing 5 medical marijuana treatment centers may open satellite locations
- Murphy said to address supply, he’s proposing changing regulations to let treatment centers specialize in specific areas, like cultivating, dispensing or manufacturing
- Murphy stated he views the state’s medical marijuana program strictly as a health issue, and he is still pushing for recreational legalization

Governor Phil Murphy then gave the state Legislature until the end of May 2019 to pass a pair of linked bills (SB 10 and SB 2703) to legalize recreational marijuana as well as expand the state’s current medical marijuana program. Otherwise, he said he’ll have no choice but to expand the medical marijuana program on his own to reach more patients.

Governor Murphy kept his word and submitted an executive order in May 2019 to amend the state’s medical marijuana program rules in order to increase medical marijuana entrepreneurial opportunities, product supply, and patient access. The rule changes include establishing separate specialty permits for cultivators, processors, and dispensaries as well as streamlining the process to add qualifying medical conditions to the program. The rule removes the requirement that the petitions for new qualifying conditions must first go to the Medicinal Marijuana Review Panel. State regulators also codified some changes already in effect, including qualifying medical conditions that were previously added by Murphy’s administration.

Additionally, Murphy signed the Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act into law, which would also make various changes to the state’s current program and present new business opportunities. This bill will make the following changes:

- Remove the requirement for patients to have a bona fide relationship with their doctor, which usually means one year of appointments, before their doctor is able to recommend medical marijuana as a treatment for them. With the removal of this requirement, the process for recommending patients will become much quicker and more simplified.
- Establish a new Cannabis Regulatory Commission to regulate the program
- Legalize home delivery of medical marijuana to registered patients
- Allow dispensaries to establish “consumption areas” on premises.
- Call for the licensing of 11 new cultivation centers to meet the growing patient demand

On July 1, 2019, the Department of Health released an updated Request for Applications for 24 additional ATCs. Applications were due August 21, 2019 for dispensary endorsements, and August 22, 2019 for cultivation endorsements and vertically integrated permits. The ATCs will have three endorsement/permit types: cultivation, dispensing, and vertically integrated permits. Vertically integrated permits include 1 cultivation endorsement, 1 manufacturing endorsement and 1 dispensary endorsement. In total, the Department will issue up to 5 cultivation endorsements, up to 15 dispensary endorsements, and up to 4 vertically integrated permits.

Read the full Medical Marijuana Act: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2008/Bills/PL09/307_.HTM

Qualifying Medical Conditions: Seizure disorder, including epilepsy; intractable skeletal muscular spasticity; or glaucoma; if severe or chronic pain, severe nausea or vomiting, cachexia, or wasting syndrome results from the condition or treatment thereof: positive status for human immunodeficiency virus, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or cancer; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, terminal cancer, muscular dystrophy, or inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease; terminal illness, if the physician has determined a prognosis of less than 12 months of life; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; anxiety; migraines; Tourette’s syndrome; chronic pain related to musculoskeletal disorders and chronic visceral pain; Opioid Use Disorder

Medical Marijuana Program Timeline:
June 3, 2019 – Department releases RFP for additional ATCs, begins accepting RFA questions
July 1, 2019 – Department begins accepting applications
July 5, 2019 – Deadline to submit RFA questions
July 16, 2019 – Pre-application webinar
August 15, 2019 – Application submission deadline