 New Jersey has a regulated cannabis market with more than 300 licensed dispensaries across the state. In 2025, the NJ cannabis industry generated more than $1.16 billion in sales and $67.5 million in sales tax. With any new and lucrative industry, unlicensed operators try to cash in. Illegal marijuana isn’t just a legal risk for the business operators; it can also be dangerous for consumers. Unregulated products skip the safety testing, labeling requirements, and warnings that New Jersey law requires, and the shops don't have the guardrails in place to protect vulnerable populations like kids, teens, and young adults from gaining access to these products.
Is legal cannabis on your shopping list? Here's how to spot a state-licensed cannabis dispensary:
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Listed in NJ-CRC's dispensary map. Before heading out to shop, visit njcrcgov.info/dispensary to find a legal spot near you. You can search by zip code, city, dispensary type, and more. Already at a location? Simply type in the business name and hit search. All legal dispensaries are added to the dispensary map once they have informed the agency that they are operational.
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ID check for everyone: Getting carded at the dispensary is not a sign that you look younger than your age. Licensed dispensaries are required by law to verify that every customer is at least 21 years old. If a place doesn’t ask for your ID, that’s a major red flag. (Medicinal Cannabis Program (MCP) patients can enter Medicinal dispensaries/Alternative Treatment Center (ATC) if they are 18 or older.)
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NJ-CRC-issued license visible in-store: Licensed dispensaries are required to display their NJ-CRC annual license certificate in a visible location. Don’t be shy — look for it. If you can’t find it, ask. A legitimate operation will have no problem showing it to you.
New Chair and Vice Chair Elected by the Commission Board
During its April 23, 2026, Board Meeting, the NJ-CRC Board elected Harris Laufer as Chair and Jacqueline Ferraro as Vice Chair.
“The Commission has worked diligently to stand up a nationally recognized regulatory framework, and we are proud of that progress,” said NJ-CRC Acting Executive Director Chris Riggs. “We look forward to working with Chair Laufer and Vice Chair Ferraro to build on that momentum as we continue in our next phase of growth. Both are stepping into these roles at a time during the rescheduling of medical cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III. We know there’s much work ahead, and our focus remains on delivering clear guidance, improving processes, and strengthening engagement with applicants, licensees, and communities across New Jersey.”
 Public meeting updates
The NJ-CRC Board voted to approve and/or deny the below items. If you want to obtain specifics, you can access the meeting slides and recording on the Public Meetings page.
Report on recommended appropriations of Social Equity Excise Fee (SEEF)
- Commissioner Amelia Mapp highlighted NJ-CRC's recommendations for SEEF funds to the Governor and Legislature. Highlights included:
- Economic and technical assistance
- Criminal justice reform and reinvestment
- Workforce development and youth services
- Public health
Cannabis business considerations
- Approved applications for permit of license changes:
- 6 ownership changes
- 2 location changes
- 1 site modification
Cannabis business applications
- Cannabis business applications
- 1 microbusiness-to-standard conversions
- 2 conditional-to-annual conversions
- 5 annual licenses
- 2 expanded ATCs
- 23 annual license renewals
Cases and petitions
- The Board approved 2 ATC employee determination of rehabilitations
Notices of enforcement actions
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(INV-09-2026) Hashery LLC
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Failure to adhere to the Adult Use regulations by using an unapproved RV for advertisement, allowing cannabis paraphernalia to be visible to the public, storing cannabis product in an unsecure area, preventing the clear monitoring of activity within the vault, and not updating its cannabis product inventories on a daily basis
- The Board voted to impose a $20,000 fine
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(INV-10-26) Green Oasis Dispensary NJ LLC
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Failure to adhere to the Adult Use regulations by failing to restrict dispensary access to authorized personnel, failing to maintain complete, accurate, and confidential records of all cannabis product sales, and failing to collect the required taxes on those sales
- The Board voted to impose a $1,000 fine
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(INV-17-26) CREAM Retail Dispensary Corp.
Delegation of authority
- The Board voted to approve delegation of authority of annual license renewals and administrative extensions
 The NJ Cannabis Training Academy (CTA) supports all operators with courses for new and established cannabis license holders and employees looking to obtain or renew a Cannabis Business Identification Card (CBIC) or annual licenses for compliance.
Additionally, the CTA provides municipality updates to keep entrepreneurs informed of local ordinance changes. For more information on courses and updates, we invite you to visit the Cannabis Training Academy and register today.
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