The New Jersey Department of Health has selected 6 businesses to apply for permits to grow medical marijuana and open dispensaries.
Ensure that patients have better access to pain-relieving medicinal marijuana.
Upon final approval from the NJ Health Department, the 6 new dispensaries will add to facilities in Bellmawr, Cranbury, Egg Harbor Township, Montclair, Secaucus and Woodbridge.
All NJ facilities can grow, process and sell medical marijuana.
New Jersey is about to double size of its medical marijuana program.
These are the six finalists selected:
- NETA NJ plans to open a facility in Phillipsburg.
- GTI New Jersey plans to open a facility in Paterson.
- Verano NJ plans to open a grow operation in Rahway,with a dispensary in Elizabeth.
- Justice Grown wants to open a facility in Ewing.
- MPX New Jersey wants to open a cultivation facility in Galloway, with a dispensary in Atlantic City.
- Columbia Care NJ has plans to operate in Vineland.
“Six very strong applicants were selected, including minority-owned and women-owned businesses,” Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal said.
“We will meet with them early next year to refine their timetable for growing product and opening their doors. We are committed to an equitable expansion of supply to meet growing patient demand, and these new locations will reach patients that currently have to travel longer distances to obtain the therapy.”
Before these 6 can grow and/or dispense medical marijuana in New Jersey:
- Must pass a background check
- Provide proof of a dispensary location
- Municipal approval
- Comply with all Health Dept regulations
- Comply with safety and security requirements
The 146 applications were reviewed by a six-person committee consisting of four DOH representatives and one each from the Departments of Agriculture and Treasury. Their expertise included medical marijuana, ATC regulation, lab testing, plant science, diversity and procurement.
Fact: Stockton University offers medical marijuana classes.
The announcement is part of a series of program reforms including the addition of five new medical conditions (anxiety, migraines, two forms of chronic pain and Tourette’s Syndrome), allowing ATCs to post prices, and shortening the review time of patient information for ID cards to between one and two days, down from 28 six months ago.
There are now 38,000 patients participating, an expansion of more than 20,000 patients since NJ Governor Phil Murphy took office.
More than 350 physicians have been added to the program — for a total of 860.
In the works:
- How much will NJ State tax legal pot?
- Legislation to allow patients to buy more cannabis at one time
- Allowing more medical professionals to recommend marijuana to patients
- Weed tax will provide money to train police to deal with these new substances.