MJBizMag October 2020 - 62

Marijuana on the Ballot
A Regulator's VIEW
V
oters in three states with medical
marijuana markets might choose
to pass adult-use laws. While the
change might not happen for months-if
at all-some regulators have already
started thinking about how their states
can best adapt to the shift.
" We are absolutely thinking about
the transition to recreational. And
we didn't start thinking about it just
with the referendum getting on the
ballot, " said Jeffrey Brown, an assistant
commissioner with the New Jersey
Department of Health, the agency
responsible for overseeing the state's
Division of Medical Marijuana.
" This has been on Gov. (Phil)
Murphy's policy agenda from Day One
of his administration. I started in March
2018, and while my role has been to
focus on the medical program, I also
have been planning for what happens if
adult use becomes legal. "
Brown's foremost concern is keeping
the state's medical marijuana program
viable if New Jersey legalizes recreational
sales, especially since some states that
have gone through the same transition
have seen their medical programs suffer.
In Oregon, for example, nearly
two-thirds of patients gave up their
medical marijuana cards, triggering a
decline in medical-only dispensaries,
according to a 2018 Associated Press
report. Oregon once had more than
400 medical dispensaries; today, only a
handful remain.
Three issues determine whether
medical patients will stay with a medical
program, Brown said: product, price
and access.
As for product, the concern is
regulating high-potency merchandise.
Specifically, how does
a program ensure
high-dose products are
available to medical
patients who truly need
them? As of now, Brown
said, " There aren't a lot
of definitive answers. "
KEEPING MMJ
PRICES DOWN
The price component of
ensuring medical marijuana programs
remain viable is easier: Keep medical
prices and costs lower than recreational
marijuana to prevent MMJ patients from
abandoning the program in favor of
adult use.
To that end, New Jersey has lowered
its medical cannabis tax to 2% with plans
to eliminate it altogether. Regulators also
lowered the cost of obtaining a medical
card from $200 to $100 per year, and
there are discussions to bring the cost of
patient cards down even more.
In terms of access, Brown noted that
some patients aren't comfortable buying
their medicine from recreational outlets,
which might lack the medical feel that
some patients enjoy, so it's important to
maintain a healthy number of medicalonly
stores to serve that demographic.
" I think it's important to have options
on the distribution side in medical, so
that everybody can continue to feel
comfortable accessing their medicine, "
Brown said.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
Another concern is balancing a prompt
and smooth rollout of adult-use cannabis
with creating a safe and fair program.
Brown also wants to ensure minority
62 Marijuana Business Magazine | October 2020
Jeffrey
Brown
entrepreneurs are given
an opportunity to
participate in the state's
cannabis industry.
" We're extremely
concerned about
being able to provide
opportunities to people
affected by the war on
drugs. We want social
equity and social justice
to be part of everything
we do-whether it's a medical market or
looking ahead to an adult-use market, "
Brown said. " All I can say is that, if I'm
asked to work on the adult-use market,
I think I would be focused on being as
expedient as possible, but (it's) also more
important that we really do it right. "
If New Jersey voters pass a
recreational marijuana initiative,
program administrative responsibilities
will shift to a new Cannabis Regulatory
Commission that will be under the
Department of the Treasury instead of
the health department.
" We know that the Cannabis
Regulatory Commission will be tasked
with continuing to expand medical, "
Brown said. He added that some specific
things " will need to be implemented
once the commission is up and running, "
including home delivery, on-site
consumption lounges, a certification
program for marijuana handlers and
medical research permits.
One final concern: Enough product
must be available to meet customer
demand, Brown said.
" What you really need to do on the industry
side is ensure that there's adequate
supply and product going into adult use, "
he said.
New Jersey official says the state is already busy readying
for recreational marijuana By Omar Sacirbey
MJBizMag October 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MJBizMag October 2020
