NJ To Open Application Window For Legal Weed Businesses

NEW JERSEY — Legal cannabis businesses can begin applying for licenses in New Jersey starting in December, but it will be awhile before dispensaries can open in the state.

The Cannabis Regulatory Commission will open the application process to some marijuana businesses on Dec. 15, including testing labs, growers and processors. However, NJ.com reports, the application window for dispensaries won't open until March.

Applications will be reviewed as they come in, on a rolling basis, which the state hopes will provide business owners "timely access" to the market as it develops. Thus, there is no deadline for applications once the window does open. Read more: NJ Marijuana Market Rules Approved: Here's What We Know

There was an initial deadline for the commission to begin accepting applications, however, which they missed. That missed deadline — originally set for September — will likely cause the state to miss another deadline.

When the initial set of rules for the market were accepted in August, the commission gave themselves six months to begin legal cannabis sales. However, given that the application window for dispensary businesses isn't set to open until March, it seems unlikely that sales will begin that soon.

So, at present, the state continues to only have medical cannabis facilities operating. Those businesses will also have the first crack at selling to recreational consumers as well, NJ.com reports.

But not yet.

The state recently approved licenses for 14 new medical marijuana businesses to open in New Jersey, including four retail stores. However, the CRC commissioner stressed that these stores would only be selling medical marijuana, as, currently, supply can't keep up with demand.

When the state does begin accepting applications, officials will seek to "address barriers to entry that have plagued some cannabis markets across the country" through the application and licensing process.

Among the ways in which state regulators are trying to right those wrongs is by having cheap application fees, which can be as low as $100, and by creating "flexible application requirements" for microbusinesses and people applying for conditional licenses.

The state will also prioritize applications from "certified minority-, women-, and disabled veteran-owned businesses, and from applicants who live or will operate in one of several designated Impact Zones or economically-disadvantaged areas."