When considering how to enter New Jersey’s new cannabis business, McCarter partner and cannabis practice chair Guillermo Artiles recommends individuals should be revisiting conversations they may have had with local officials previously, or ignite new ones immediately. The state has done its work by setting up a framework for adult-use cannabis and will continue to do so through the Cannabis Regulatory Commission, but the granular work will now be done at the local level via ordinance or resolution.
Real estate, organizational, and financial planning — while all critical pieces of the puzzle — should all be done with a local backdrop in mind. No matter how great the applicant or entity, it will not succeed without local support.