NJ CRC Announces Opening of Cannabis Application Windows

During its public meeting on November 9, 2021, the New Jersey CRC passed a resolution to begin accepting applications for adult use (recreational) testing, cultivation and manufacturing licenses on December 15, 2021.  License applications for retail dispensaries can be submitted beginning on March 15, 2022.  The CRC will review applications on a rolling basis and the application window will not close until another notice is released.

The CRC confirmed that apart from the statutorily set limit of 37 licenses for cultivation, there are no numerical limits imposed by the state on any other license class.  The CRC explained that its notice of application will set forth the scoring requirements for the applications, and that the scoring will be pass or fail.  In other words, an applicant submitting a complete answer will receive a full score while an applicant submitting an incomplete score will receive zero points.  Applicants who do not meet minimum scores will be provided an opportunity to cure their deficiencies and resubmit their application.

The CRC also explained that applications will be reviewed pursuant to the priority schedule required by statute.  A conditional, microbusiness, social equity application in each license class will receive top priority.  Then conditional, social equity applications receive the next priority.  Then annual social equity applications.

The first 37 cultivation applications that meet all of the requirements of the CRC will be given the 37 cultivation licenses that are available until February 2023, when the statutory cap expires.