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CRC: licensing and sales rising; staff report increases in diverse ownership but some commissioners urge continued progress
Summary
Agency staff reported higher sales and a growing number of licenses and awardees, with diversity metrics above national averages; Commissioner Barker praised gains but urged further efforts to increase ownership among communities most harmed by past cannabis enforcement.
Agency staff told commissioners on Oct. 17 that New Jersey’s regulated cannabis market continues to expand and to meet several of the CRC’s statutory equity benchmarks, while commissioners urged continued focus on communities that experienced disproportionate enforcement.
Director Riggs said the licensing pipeline (data dated Oct. 11) included roughly 2,700 total applications submitted and about 2,100 approved, with 1,508 conditional awards and 213 annual licenses issued. Riggs also reported roughly 70,000 patients enrolled in the medical program as of Oct. 15.
Sales and pricing: staff presented quarterly sales and pricing trends showing 2024 sales up about 44% year over year and August 2024 the highest month on record (up 47% vs Aug. 2023). Medical flower pricing dropped below $10 per gram in August 2024, and overall flower remained the largest product category by sales share.
Equity and demographics: Director McWhite said awardee counts increased between quarter 2 and quarter 3 across cultivators, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, and that diversely owned businesses and social-equity awardees also rose. McWhite compared New Jersey’s data to national averages, saying New Jersey’s share of annual license awardees to minority- and women-owned businesses exceeded national benchmarks.
Commissioner Barker urged continued progress, noting that despite improvements some minority categories remain underrepresented among operational licensees and reiterated that legalization’s aim included benefit for people most harmed by prior enforcement. Other commissioners thanked staff for the data and emphasized ongoing outreach, translations, and the planned patient registration clinics.
What’s next: staff said a full quarterly report will be posted on the CRC website in the coming weeks and the commission’s public-engagement committee will continue to review survey and roundtable input before recommending rule changes affecting patient allotments or caregiver rules.
