NJ proposal would weaken local control over recreational marijuana

Medical cannabis dispensaries in New Jersey could bypass local bans and start selling recreational marijuana without municipal approval if a bill recently introduced in the state Senate becomes law.If S4074 is passed, cannabis retail could proliferate across New Jersey like never before.

ADVERTISEMENT Roughly two-thirds of municipalities in the state have opted to ban recreational marijuana sales, the New Jersey Monitor reported.Introduced by state Senate President Nicholas Scutari – one of the sponsors of the New Jersey’s marijuana legalization law – S4074 is seen as a response to the industry’s perceived struggles in the state because of local bans.

Total adult-use and medical cannabis sales in New Jersey hit a record $1 billion in 2024, according to state data, up nearly 25% from the year before.As of November, there were 338 marijuana businesses in the state, according to the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission, about 200 of which are retailers.

However, 1,524 conditional recreational licenses had been approved, supporting critics’ assertions that a local bottleneck is preventing more businesses from opening.Adult-use sales in the state began in August 2022, but critics have said sales were slow to launch in part because of a slow approval process at the local level.

ADVERTISEMENT If approved, S4074 would also Expedite the approval process for new medical marijuana businesses to no more than 30 days.Allow dual-license retailers to designate medical marijuana products as recreational.

Permit MMJ dispensaries to start selling adult-use products if the retailer operated complaint-free for 6 months.Prohibit municipalities from capping the number of MMJ dispensaries within their boundaries.

Localities could still cap recreational retailers....