The attorney general of New Jersey on Tuesday sent warning letters to companies that are effectively circumventing the state\u2019s marijuana laws by \u201cgifting\u201d cannabis in exchange for non-marijuana-related purchases such as overpriced cookies, brownies and stickers.<\/p>\n
Gifting is lawful between adults 21 and older under New Jersey\u2019s adult-use cannabis law, but a number of businesses are allegedly taking advantage of that policy by giving away \u201cfree\u201d cannabis products to those who purchase other items like snacks and baked goods.<\/p>\n
No retail marijuana businesses have been licensed since the state enacted recreational legalization earlier this year, which followed voter approval of a reform initiative during the November 2020 election. Licensing regulations still need to be developed before adult-use shops can open.<\/p>\n
\nHave you heard about businesses that \u201cgift\u201d marijuana w\/ the purchase of snacks or other items? This isn\u2019t the kind of cannabis business allowed by NJ\u2019s new law. We\u2019re warning these businesses to stop unlawful practices that could undercut the legal market.https:\/\/t.co\/pYBODk12DY<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 AG Gurbir Grewal (@NewJerseyOAG) June 15, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
\u201cIn legalizing adult-use cannabis in New Jersey, the Legislature made it clear they were creating a regulated market with restrictions on how that market operates,\u201d Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said in a press release. \u201cInstead of waiting for those regulations to be established, some vendors have decided to move forward on their own, in ways that the law does not allow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToday we\u2019re making it clear that we will not permit these entities to undermine the regulated cannabis marketplace the Legislature created or to compete unfairly with properly licensed cannabis businesses,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Four Sky High Munchies, Slumped Kitchen LLC, NJGreenDirect.com LLC and West Winds Wellness were targeted with cease and desist letters, which state that the cannabis gifts that they\u2019re offering appear to be central to their business transactions. The non-cannabis items are generally overpriced, the press release notes.<\/p>\n
New Jersey\u2019s legalization law establishes the Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) to oversee the market and create licensing rules. CRC Chairperson Dianna Houenou said that the division \u201cis committed to establishing a safe marketplace of cannabis products.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThose trying to preempt the rules and transfer unregulated and untested marijuana items jeopardize public health and undermine confidence in the forthcoming regulated cannabis industry,\u201d she said<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will not allow vendors to misrepresent what they\u2019re selling,\u201d Kaitlin Caruso, acting director of the state\u2019s Division of Consumer Affairs, said. \u201cUnder our consumer protection laws, vendors are subject to fines and penalties for making false or misleading statements about what they\u2019re selling. We have warned these companies about our concerns, and to stop conduct that could violate our laws.\u201d<\/p>\n
New Jersey\u2019s attorney general has been proactive about cannabis reform implementation since the legalization bill was enacted.<\/p>\n
The day after Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signed bills to legalize and decriminalize marijuana<\/a>, Grewal directed prosecutors to drop cases for cannabis-related offenses<\/a> and issued separate guidance for police on how to proceed under the updated laws.<\/p>\n
The attorney general also encouraged prosecutorial discretion for marijuana cases<\/a> in earlier memos prior to the bill\u2019s signing.<\/p>\n
\nFederal Marijuana Trafficking Cases Drop Again In 2020 As More States Legalize<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
The post New Jersey Attorney General Cracks Down On \u2018Gift\u2019 Marijuana Schemes Involving Overpriced Snacks<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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\nRead More: New Jersey Attorney General Cracks Down On \u2018Gift\u2019 Marijuana Schemes Involving Overpriced Snacks<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The attorney general of New Jersey on Tuesday sent warning letters to companies that are effectively circumventing the state\u2019s marijuana laws by \u201cgifting\u201d cannabis in exchange for non-marijuana-related purchases such as overpriced cookies, brownies and stickers. Gifting is lawful between adults 21 and older under New Jersey\u2019s adult-use cannabis law,Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48292"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48292"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48293,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48292\/revisions\/48293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}