It is no secret that the demand for medical cannabis in New Jersey has grown exponentially since Governor Phil Murphy took office in January 2018. One of his first actions, Executive Order 6, required a complete review and overhaul of the state’s medical cannabis policy and operations, leading to a number of regulatory actions. The governor also signed into law the Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act (P.L. 2019, c. 153). In their totality, these steps greatly expanded legal access to medical cannabis.

While the patient demand has increased by 300%, there has been a significant lag in new vertically integrated and stand-alone cultivating, processing, and dispensing facilities becoming operational. New Jersey voters will also be deciding this November whether to authorize cannabis for adult use, which, if approved, would present the need for even larger industry expansion.