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Sales of marijuana for entertainment in New Jersey for those aged 21 and over will begin on April 21, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday.
“This is a historic step in our work to create a new cannabis industry,” said Murphy, who made the announcement via Twitter.
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The news comes just three days after state regulators gave green permission to seven outlets that already sell medical cannabis to start selling marijuana for entertainment. It’s also about a year since the U.S. Regulatory Commission began working a year and a half after voters approved by an overwhelming majority a vote on allowing marijuana for entertainment for people 21 and older.
New Jersey and 17 other states, along with the District of Columbia, have legalized marijuana for entertainment. Thirty-seven states, including New Jersey, have legalized medical marijuana.
Sales for leisure in New Jersey are scheduled to begin before New York, where sales are not expected to begin by the end of the year, government officials said.
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There is medical cannabis in neighboring Pennsylvania, but not for recreation. Some cities, including Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, have passed ordinances decriminalizing marijuana or making it a low-priority law enforcement priority. Legislation to allow marijuana for entertainment in Delaware was rejected by the legislature last month.
FILE – Heather Randazo, an employee of the Compassionate Care Foundation’s medical marijuana dispensary, prunes marijuana leaves at the company’s growing house in Eg Harbor Township, New Jersey (AP Photo / Julio Cortez, File) (AP Photo / Julio Cortez, file) / AP Newsroom)
Three of New Jersey’s seven facilities, known as alternative treatment centers, are in the northern part of the state. Three are to the south and one is in its central part.
To gain approval, the centers agreed that the upcoming influx of leisure buyers would not cut off patients’ access. The facilities said they would reserve parking spaces for patients, as well as maintain working hours specifically for patients.
According to the commission, there are about 130,000 patients with medical marijuana, with approximately 800,000 potential entertainment users and less than 800,000 tourism users.
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Ben Kovler, CEO of Green Thumb Industries, which runs dispensaries in several states, is preparing for the start of entertainment sales at facilities in Patterson and Bloomfield. Kovler said he expected a “tidal wave” of demand.
“We are witnessing the end of the 2.0 ban,” he said in an email statement.
A client buys medical marijuana at a dispensary in Oakland, California. (Reuters / Robert Galbraith / Photos by Reuters)
Alternative treatment centers, which have already had retail sales of medical cannabis, are starting to start in the leisure market, but regulators have worked to their advantage. The centers must meet social justice standards, such as providing technical expertise to new marijuana companies, especially applicants for social equality – those in economically disadvantaged parts of the state or people who have had crimes related to cannabis.
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“We remain committed to social justice,” Diana Huenu, chair of the Cannabis Regulatory Commission, said in a statement. “We promised to build this market on the pillars of social justice and security. In the end, we hope to see businesses and a workforce that reflect the diversity of the state.”
How much tax revenue New Jersey receives from marijuana for entertainment is not clear. Murphy’s budget for fiscal 2023, which is under consideration by the Democrat-led legislature, provides revenue of just $ 19 million in a budget of nearly $ 49 billion. In 2019, as the legalization of marijuana for entertainment was still expected in front of voters, he estimated about $ 60 million in revenue.
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Entertainment market legislation requires a sales tax of 6.625%, with 70% of revenue going to areas disproportionately affected by marijuana arrests. Black people were more likely – up to three times more – to face marijuana charges than white people. Cities can also impose a tax of up to 2%.
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