New Jersey is unlikely to allow its marijuana users or medical marijuana patients to grow their own cannabis plants at home, the new president of the state Senate said this month. 

State Sen. Nick Scutari, D-Union, was the main proponent of New Jersey marijuana legalization in the state Senate and was elected by his colleagues as the body's president this year. But speaking to a virtual webinar of cannabis industry entrepreneurs and experts, he said he "did not see (home grow) happening right now," repeated a common refrain that allowing "home grow" would only contribute to the black market and hold back the legal industry from taking off. 

The state rejected its permit for an alternative treatment center.

Lightshade Labs has withdrawn its zoning application to become the second medical marijuana dispensary in Montclair. 

The state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission notified the Colorado-based company on Dec. 7 that it was denying its application for an alternative treatment center license. The commission first received more than 100 applications for dispensaries in 2019, but reviews for those and other marijuana facility licenses were tied up by a court case until 2021. The commission ultimately awarded 30 dispensary licenses, spread throughout the state. 

A warning has been issued by a local medical cannabis clinic that it will ban patients trying to use what it called ‘underhand’ means to try to obtain ‘double medication’.

A proposed $10,000 fee for licenses to grow, store or sell cannabis was flagged as possibly problematic by Red Bank’s borough attorney last week.

At the council’s workshop meeting last week, community planning Director Shawna Ebanks suggested an amendment to a recently enacted cannabis ordinance to create a licensing procedure and fee.

Cannabis businesses will be allowed to operate in town under new regulations approved at Tuesday's Board of Aldermen meeting. 

The 15-page ordinance, approved unanimously, establishes zoning codes and licensing requirements for recreational marijuana dispensaries. It also sets up an application process to open a dispensary in town.   

"A lot of people had input into this ordinance," said Alderman Eddie Correa. 

"We believe [this] is a thorough, very comprehensive piece of legislation. We believe it includes a lot of components for the applicants and has always put our community first."

Thinking about applying for a cannabis business license in New Jersey? According to Emily Seelman, Founder and CEO of Canna Business Services, you will need to act fast.

New Jersey is what we would consider a "competitive state" for licensing. This means that many MSOs (multi-state operators) and newcomers alike will be clamoring for licenses because the round opens quickly and priority will be given to those that get their applications in first. With the State's cap on cultivation licenses, limiting the number of licenses that will be awarded, hopeful applicants are aiming to submit the most robust and competitive applications possible.

New Jersey is finally going to start accepting licenses for recreational cannabis businesses, more than a year after the measure passed.

Cannabis regulators in New Jersey announced this week that the state would begin accepting applications for marijuana business licenses next month, more than a year after voters in the state legalized recreational pot in the 2020 general election. At a meeting of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) on Tuesday, officials revealed applications for adult-use marijuana cultivators, processors and testing labs.