{"id":63887,"date":"2023-04-14T08:03:37","date_gmt":"2023-04-14T16:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2023\/04\/14\/curaleafs-application-to-renew-adult-use-marijuana-sales-license-rejected-by-new-jersey-regulators\/"},"modified":"2023-04-14T17:45:55","modified_gmt":"2023-04-15T01:45:55","slug":"curaleafs-application-to-renew-adult-use-marijuana-sales-license-rejected-by-new-jersey-regulators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2023\/04\/14\/curaleafs-application-to-renew-adult-use-marijuana-sales-license-rejected-by-new-jersey-regulators\/","title":{"rendered":"Curaleaf\u2019s Application To Renew Adult-Use Marijuana Sales License Rejected By New Jersey Regulators"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems there\u2019s still a lot of information missing that should be provided, and that should be done in a way, in a manner that is forthcoming and transparent.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

By Sophie Nieto-Mu\u00f1oz, New Jersey Monitor<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cannabis regulators on Thursday denied Curaleaf, the biggest player in New Jersey\u2019s nascent cannabis industry, a renewal of the license that allows it to grow and sell recreational marijuana in the Garden State.<\/p>\n

The vote represents a surprising blow to the cannabis giant, and comes just about a week before the\u00a0first anniversary of recreational weed sales\u00a0in the state. It left observers stunned, and a representative of Curaleaf seeking help from the attorney general and wondering aloud about legal action.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without a license, Curaleaf\u2019s approval for recreational sales lapses on April 21. It remains unclear what the change means for its customers seeking medical marijuana, what happens to the company\u2019s stores in Bellmawr, Edgewater Park and Bordentown, and whether the company can appeal the decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thursday\u2019s vote by the Cannabis Regulatory Commission comes a month after Curaleaf confirmed it is\u00a0<\/span>closing one of its growing facilities<\/span>\u00a0and laying off 40 workers. Commission members cited the closure, along with the company\u2019s clash with unionization and its lack of transparency with the state, as reasons for rejecting Curaleaf\u2019s license renewal.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI think it\u2019s important for the board to have staff at large to have proper insight and timely notice of major changes to facility operations,\u201d said commission Chair Dianna Houenou. \u201cIt seems there\u2019s still a lot of information missing that should be provided, and that should be done in a way, in a manner that is forthcoming and transparent.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Only one member of the commission\u2014Samuel Delgado\u2014voted to approve the annual license for Curaleaf, one of the biggest cannabis companies in the nation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A Curaleaf spokesperson called the commission\u2019s action an \u201coutrageous act of political retaliation\u201d that lacks merit and legal basis.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost alarmingly, it will adversely impact our employees\u2014nearly 500 New Jersey residents and Curaleaf team members\u2014as much as it will harm the broader New Jersey cannabis market,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n

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Please see our statement regarding today’s decision by the New Jersey CRC. $CURA<\/a> $CURLF<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/1AHyF0vPwn<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Boris Jordan (@Boris_Jordan) April 14, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Cannabis advocates and potential licensees in the commission\u2019s packed meeting room in Trenton were stunned by the vote\u2019s outcome. People whispered to each other afterward, asking what it meant for Curaleaf\u2019s products, consumers in South Jersey, and the industry as a whole. One person clapped.<\/span><\/p>\n

The legal recreational cannabis industry launched in New Jersey\u00a0<\/span>nearly a year ago<\/span>, so alternative treatment centers\u2014or medical dispensaries\u2014that were the first to receive approval to sell recreational marijuana were up for license renewals Thursday. Curaleaf was one of the seven companies to get the first go-ahead to sell recreational cannabis products last year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ahead of the vote, Commissioner Krista Nash noted that the state\u2019s legalization law includes a requirement for cannabis businesses to maintain a labor peace agreement\u2014where unions and employers agree on certain rights in exchange for agreeing not to strike\u2014as a condition of licensure, and mandates collective bargaining within 200 days after a dispensary first opens if the majority of employees vote to form a union.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nash stressed this was a requirement intentionally inserted by lawmakers, \u201cnot a challenge for companies to find a loophole in the law. It is an explicit mandate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have different definitions of what \u2018maintain\u2019 means. If you maintain your car, I don\u2019t know if that means letting it sit in a garage. But it doesn\u2019t mean, in this term, filing an agreement away in a drawer, but rather to implement the terms of what parties agreed to do,\u201d said Nash.<\/span><\/p>\n

James Shorris, Curaleaf\u2019s chief compliance officer, spoke on behalf of the company at Thursday\u2019s meeting. Shorris touted the company\u2019s investments in the state, high sales to medical and recreational consumers and job creation with an emphasis on diversity. He also defended the closure of the Bellmawr grow site, citing changes in demand for flower and cost concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n

Houenou said she was \u201cencouraged\u201d by Curaleaf\u2019s diversity efforts, but still had to cast her \u201cdifficult vote.\u201d Houenou abstained from the vote.<\/span><\/p>\n

In other states, Curaleaf has clashed with unions, and the National Labor Relations Board\u00a0<\/span>cited the company last year<\/span>\u00a0for refusing to bargain with unionized workers in Chicago.<\/span><\/p>\n

Several other dispensaries, like Verano, Acreage, Terrascend and Rise, were approved for annual licenses Thursday.<\/span><\/p>\n

The commission also canceled its meeting in May. It will meet next in June.<\/span><\/p>\n

This story was first published by New Jersey Monitor.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

The Clock Is Now Ticking For Delaware\u2019s Governor To Decide On Marijuana Legalization As Bills Are Officially Transmitted To His Desk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

The post Curaleaf\u2019s Application To Renew Adult-Use Marijuana Sales License Rejected By New Jersey Regulators<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\nRead More: Curaleaf\u2019s Application To Renew Adult-Use Marijuana Sales License Rejected By New Jersey Regulators<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt seems there\u2019s still a lot of information missing that should be provided, and that should be done in a way, in a manner that is forthcoming and transparent.\u201d By Sophie Nieto-Mu\u00f1oz, New Jersey Monitor Cannabis regulators on Thursday denied Curaleaf, the biggest player in New Jersey\u2019s nascent cannabis industry,Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":457,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1335],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63887"}],"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\/457"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63887"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63887\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63888,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63887\/revisions\/63888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}