New Jersey officials announced this week that over 1000 people are enrolled in its Cannabis Training Academy. The CTA is a program designed to assist entrepreneurs looking to enter the legal marijuana market.
The program, which was launched in October last year, is offered free to all participants. It covers the processes of applying for a license, getting municipal approval, raising money, and dealing with issues such as zoning, day-today operations, and more. New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission supports the program.
The NJ Business Action Center of the Department of State (NJBAC), says that the online courses allow students to finish the Academy at their own speed. Programming consists of pre-recorded webinars as well as live Q&A sessions with instructors. NJBAC also plans to offer in-person training.
The NJ-CRC, which is the regulatory body of New Jersey, has endorsed the CTA’s demand. Melanie Willoughby was the executive director at the NJBAC.
According to a release, the academy is designed to promote equity in New Jersey’s legal marijuana industry. The program, according the press release, “is specially designed for those who are members of the target Impact Zones as defined by the CREAMM Act, and the subsequent NJ-CRC regulations.”
All New Jersey residents 21 and over are eligible to take the first three modules. The additional modules can be taken by people living in impact zones who plan to set up a business, hire within these zones, or live there.
According to the press release, “Those living in CRC designated Impact Zones, planning to establish their future cannabis businesses in Impact Zones, or hiring future employees who will be working in Impact Zones, can enhance their education with seven new levels and 60 additional classes.”
The Lt. Tahesha Way said (D), “The Cannabis Training Academy provides invaluable resources to small business owners who are going through the process for managing a legal cannabis business.”
Way explained that the insights will allow entrepreneurs to avoid the common mistakes and start their businesses on the correct track. We are creating a cannabis industry that is more sustainable and inclusive in New Jersey with the help of tools and knowledge.
Officials have noted that registration for the program remains open.
Meanwhile in New Jersey, dozens small marijuana businesses and advocacy groups are calling on the state legislature to allow adults to cultivate their own cannabis at home—pushing back against repeated claims from the governor and legislative leaders that the reform could undermine the evolving legal marketplace.
More than 50 business owners and activists, who formed the New Jersey Home Grow Coalition collective last year, sent an open letter (in English) to Senate President Nicholas Scutari, rejecting the notion that people need more time for the market to mature, before they can grow their plants.
New Jersey, unlike most states which have legalized cannabis for adult users or patients with medical marijuana needs, continues to ban home cultivation.
Gov. Phil Murphy (D) said in late 2023 that he remains “very much open-minded” about the idea of adding a home grow option to the state’s marijuana law—but that he still wanted to give the licensed industry more time to mature before implementing that change.
Murphy has been repeatedly pressed on the state’s lack of a home cultivation option, and he’s maintained his openness to the policy before and after New Jersey’s adult-use cannabis market launched in 2022.
Meanwhile, last month applications officially opened to operate a licensed marijuana consumption lounge in New Jersey. This was nearly a full year after NJCRC had finalized the rules.
NJ-CRC member have expressed their expectation that the creation of areas for cannabis consumption will bring economic benefits to the State by increasing tax revenues from marijuana and fees.
In December, in addition to releasing application forms for the new license type, NJ-CRC also approved a cannabis fee increase to support the state’s social equity program.
Also that month, regulators announced that New Jersey marijuana sales officially exceeded $1 billion for 2024.
Since the adult-use market launched in April 2022—and the number of licensed dispensaries surpassed 190—the state has seen more than $2 billion in cannabis sales.
Jeff Brown, the executive director of NJ-CRC, had predicted that the state would hit the $1 billion sales mark by the end of 2024 in an interview with MEDCAN24 last year.
Regulators also said that, while working to promote the rapidly growing recreational cannabis market, they would not let the state’s medical marijuana system go by the wayside. To that end, the commission eliminated the cost of obtaining a medical cannabis card.
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Side Pocket Images. Image courtesy Chris Wallis.