The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) approved proposed rules for cannabis consumption lounges in a Dec. 2 meeting.
According to the proposed framework, adult-use or medical operators looking to operate a consumption lounge would have to receive approval from its municipality and the CRC. The consumption lounges, limited to individuals aged 21 years and older, could be built indoors or outdoors but must be enclosed.
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Alcohol and tobacco and food sales would not be permitted onsite; however, consumers could bring in their food or deliver it to the consumption lounge.
The application fee would be $1,000 for all businesses, $1,000 for micro-businesses, and a standard licensing fee for other operators would be $5,000, according to the proposed rules.
According to NJBIZ, CRC Executive Director Jeff Brown said in the meeting, “I truly believe that this rule proposal–like everything else we’ve tried to do–adequately balances both equity and safety.”
Before the CRC can finalize the rules, they must be posted to the New Jersey Register for a 60-day public comment period, according to the news outlet.
In addition, in the same meeting, the CRC approved 113 conditional license applications, six conditional-to-annual conversion applications, and eight annual applications. And as of Nov. 15, there have been 392 cultivation applications, 225 manufacturing applications, and 810 retail applications for adult-use cannabis, according to the meeting agenda.
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