п»їYou Can Now Buy Weed Legally, for Fun, in NJ: Check Where to Go, Costs and More.
New Jersey approved seven medical marijuana companies to sell recreational weed at 13 locations. Here are answers to some of your questions about the budding — but confusing — industry.
By Brian X. McCrone • Published April 20, 2022 • Updated on April 21, 2022 at 7:19 am.
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New Jersey is the 19th state where recreational marijuana is sold.
Seven medical marijuana dispensaries in the Garden State were given the green light to sell recreational pot at 13 locations in a vote by the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission on April 11.
What does that mean for people looking to buy pre-rolled marijuana joints, edibles or an ounce of "flower"? We asked two experts: longtime legalization advocate Chris Goldstein of NORML, and attorney Rob DiPisa, who represents marijuana companies on real estate and compliance issues.
NBC New York's Brian Thompson reports.
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Where Can I Buy Weed Legally in NJ?
There are currently only medical marijuana dispensaries operating in New Jersey. Those are run by eight national companies, which combine to have 23 locations throughout the state. Here is a map of the locations.
Seven of those companies received the final approvals for recreational licenses and will be the first to expand into that realm soon. Many more prospective recreational retailers are also trying to open in New Jersey.
In fact, the CRC has issued 102 conditional approvals, which include dozens of small start-up businesses. But DiPisa said significant hurdles remain for start-up retailers, including securing zero- and low-interest loans and gaining local permits from municipalities to open.
Conditional approvals are not the same as the seven approvals handed out April 11 by the CRC, and are just an initial step in the regulatory process toward a state license. DiPisa said a way to improve the process for dozens of smaller prospective retailers is to free up those advantageous loans during the conditional approval phase. That is not currently the case, he said.
People aged 21 and over in New Jersey will be able to purchase cannabis and cannabis products without a medical card on April 21. NBC New York's Pat Battle reports.
How Much Does Marijuana Cost in NJ?
The first thing to know is that it costs a lot, the experts said, both for medicinal purposes and, eventually, for recreational purposes.
An ounce of "flower," which is the raw bud product, costs between $320 to $480 for New Jersey medicinal patients, according to a recent published report by NJ.com. There is no state-regulated price, but there are state and local sales taxes based on weight that add to prices set by retailers.
While prices overall may vary by size and product, all transactions are subject to New Jersey sales tax of 6.625 percent plus a social equity excise fee of a third of a percent, according to the state's website.
The cost is high compared to prices in other states, including Maine, Florida and those in the West Coast. That has a lot to do with supply, real estate costs, and high local and cannabis-specific taxes, the experts said.
Nearby Pennsylvania patients also must pay very high prices for medicinal marijuana, Goldstein said. He mostly blames a system dominated by national corporations and rigid regulatory hurdles.
"A gram of gold is going for $62 these days. A gram of hash oil in Pennsylvania dispensaries sells for $100," Goldstein said. "You're telling me cannabis costs more to produce than the discovery, mining and refining of a precious metal?"