NJ Proposes Rules For Public Cannabis Use Areas: What To Know

NEW JERSEY - Proposed parameters for how cannabis should be consumed in public areas have been released by the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission, with details regarding how public cannabis consumption areas should be run and what shouldn’t be allowed.

Public cannabis consumption areas will require both state commission and municipal approval, with strict 21+ are requirements to be enforced with photo ID checks at all entrances, the commission said.

Medicinal cannabis users will also be permitted at all consumption areas, though it wasn’t immediately clear if the same age requirement would be enforced in that scenario.

No alcohol or tobacco will be allowed to be consumed on the premises of the sites, which can be indoor or outdoor but need to be enclosed; food sales also won’t be allowed, but consumers can opt to have munchies delivered or packed from home.

The proposed rules, voted on the regulatory commission during a Friday meeting, also include a fee structure for applications, the CRC said in a statement. The commission is responsible for establishing and enforcing rules surrounding the licensing, cultivation, testing, selling and purchasing of legal cannabis in New Jersey.

“Equitable access to cannabis means everyone who wishes to consume has some place they can do that – legally, safely, and responsibly,” said Commission Chairwoman Dianna Houenou in a statement. “When regulated properly, cannabis consumption areas can strengthen the industry, while giving people more choices on where they consume.”

“I’m very excited that we’re pushing this forward because it is a safe space for consumers and patients,” CRC Commissioner Maria Del Cid-Kosso added.

Legal cannabis consumption spaces won’t be coming anytime soon, as the proposed rules will be published in the New Jersey Register with a public comment period to follow for 60 days. Once the rules are adopted, a Notice of Applications Acceptance will be issued before medicinal and recreational cannabis dispensaries in the state can apply to allow onsite consumption at their facilities.

Application fees will also start at $1,000, according to the consumption site rules proposal, and standard licensing fees will be $5,000.

During the same meeting, the CRC adopted a Code of Ethics for the commission, awarded 113 conditional licenses and eight annual licenses and approved six conversions of conditional to annual licenses.

The commission’s public meeting schedule for 2023 was also adopted on Friday.