To date, there have been three requests for applications (“RFAs”) since the inception of the New Jersey Medicinal Marijuana Program in January 2010. From the three RFAs, 12 entities have been awarded licenses to operate medicinal cannabis establishments in New Jersey.

In the first RFA, entities applying for a medicinal marijuana license were required to demonstrate that a certain percentage of their owners were New Jersey residents during the two years prior to the submission date of their application. For the second and third RFAs, the New Jersey residency requirement was waived. In lieu of this requirement, the Department of Medicinal Marijuana attributed bonus points to applicants with an ownership structure that included New Jersey residents. The intended purpose behind waiving the New Jersey residency requirement was to relax the barrier of entry into the New Jersey cannabis market in order for out-of-state operators to bring experience into New Jersey’s burgeoning (and immature) medicinal cannabis market.