NJ Seeks to Expand Medical Marijuana Centers

TRENTON – Gov. Phil Murphy is no longer waiting for lawmakers to expand medical marijuana centers in the state.
On June 3, the Department of Health announced that it would begin accepting applications for the cultivation, manufacture, and distribution of medical marijuana across the state (http://bit.ly/2QFd3H6).
Stating that, “We are at a point where patients just cannot wait any longer for easily accessible, affordable therapy,” the department announced that the state is planning to issue up to 108 new licenses.
There are six current operating dispensaries, known as Alternative Treatment Centers (ATC), authorized in the state. Each is fully integrated, growing and manufacturing the products they dispense. A modest increase from six to 12 was approved, but additional dispensaries are not yet operational.
The state plan calls for separate licenses for cultivation, manufacture, and treatment centers. The plan specifically cites a need for 24 cultivation licenses, 30 for manufacturing and 54 dispensaries.
Citing a growing patient population, the state application process targets 38 new marijuana businesses for the northern sections of the state, 38 in the central region, and 32 in the southern counties.
Since the Murphy Administration began its push to expand access to medical marijuana, the number of registered patients has grown threefold, from around 17,000 to almost 50,000.
The application process will run from July 1 to Aug. 15. The Department of Health did not state when the state expects to issue the new licenses.
Many of the parameters of the program seem aimed at some of the objections the administration encountered with its push to legalize recreational marijuana.
The separation of marijuana businesses into a supply chain of licenses would allow broader participation in the specialized aspects of the businesses.
The announcement also notes that cultivation licenses will be in three sizes: 5,000 square feet, 20,000 square feet, and 30,000 square feet. The notice said that the variation in sizes would provide “increasing opportunities for small- and medium-sized businesses to participate in the program.”
Recently Avalon adopted changes to its land-use ordinances that prohibit the cultivation, manufacturing, or sale of marijuana in the borough.
Middle Township scheduled a discussion of the topic for one of its governing body’s work sessions and removed the item from the agenda when legalization of marijuana failed to pass in Trenton. 
Stone Harbor Mayor Judith Davies-Dunhour said at the time the bill failed in Trenton that the borough would wait on developments before considering any measures regarding marijuana businesses.
It remains to be seen if the move to target 32 new licenses for marijuana-related businesses in the southern counties will spur new discussions in Cape May County municipalities.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.