Are More Legal Weed Dispensaries Opening in NJ?

Unless you've been living under a rock on Mars, you know that last month, we saw the legalization of recreational marijuana use in New Jersey. There are currently 12 dispensaries owned by 7 companies where customers 21 and older can purchase marijuana without a medical card. But will we soon have more locations open for recreational use?

Possibly!

According to NJ.com, one medical marijuana dispensary owner attempted to make the cut to open for adult-use on April 21st, along with the others, but didn't succeed.

AYR Wellness, a marijuana company which currently operates three medical-only NJ dispensaries in Union, Eatontown and North Woodbridge, was previously rejected by the Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) for approval to open for recreational use in New Jersey.

Why? Apparently they had problems proving to the CRC that they could meet the demand for both medical and recreational marijuana.

Well now, AYR is gearing up to take another crack at it. NJ.com states that AYR Wellness is set to make a presentation to a CRC panel on May 24th. The presentation will cover outlines for parking, patient access plans, separate check out lanes for medical-use and recreational use, and more.

If they have all their ducks in a row and succeed, AYR would reportedly open at least two of their existing medical-only locations for recreational use as well, which would bring the total amount of adult-use dispensaries in New Jersey up to 14. Which is better, but still way less than what the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association is hoping for. They're hoping AYR will help New Jersey expand our amount of recreational weed dispensaries, to   make our personal-use market more robust.

Hopefully the presentation goes well! Surely many New Jerseyans would appreciate more, less-crowded locational options.