New Jersey recently legalized recreational marijuana, but there's a catch

New Jersey Lagalized Marijuana. Image Credit

The first day of legal recreational marijuana sales in New Jersey was Thursday. And, despite the fact that thousands of customers lined up bright and early to commemorate the occasion, it is not a free-for-all. The state continues to impose strict restrictions on cannabis use, including limits on how much an individual can buy and possess, as well as where they can smoke it.

New Jersey is one of 18 states that have legalized adult-use marijuana. Anyone over the age of 21 can now legally purchase marijuana products from dispensaries that have been granted permission to sell it for recreational reasons.

Marijuana legalization isn't simply a popular policy move among people; it's also smart business. Since licensed sales began in 2014, states that have legalized marijuana have collected more than $10 billion in cannabis tax income, Fortune reported in January.

On Thursday, Ben Kovler, CEO of Green Thumb Industries, which operates three dispensaries in New Jersey, told Fortune, "The state is going to gain a ton of tax income, and there's going to be a monster amount of jobs." "It's a foregone conclusion."

Over 150 people were in line when Kovler's stores opened at 6 a.m., he estimates.

"It was celebratory, and there were people from all walks of life there," he remarked. "Professionals and nonprofessionals, Black and white, young and old—everyone is gathered around the product."

Recreational sales, like those in other states, are restricted. Adults can have up to six ounces of marijuana, but purchasers must start small: just one ounce of marijuana can be purchased at a time.

The Regulatory Cannabis Commission of New Jersey has approved only 13 dispensaries, all of which are also medical dispensaries, for the selling of marijuana. According to NJ.com, hundreds more recreational merchants are expected to file regulatory applications in the coming weeks.

Those who drove long distances to stand in line at one of those spots will have to wait until they return home to light up. As of Thursday, the only area in the state where it is allowed to use marijuana is one's own home.

Renters must obtain permission from the property owner. According to the Asbury Park Press, landlords can restrict their renters from ingesting any type of marijuana on their property, but several have done so in recent years while allowing tenants to vape or consume edibles.

Another stipulation: no consuming marijuana in vehicles, even if you're only hitching a ride. While the state has made it plain that driving while high—or transporting legal cannabis products across state lines—is illegal, it has also stated that no one in a car is allowed to ingest marijuana, even if it is in the form of an edible or vape.

New Jersey is the only state in the US that has approved medical marijuana but does not allow patients to grow their own. According to the Asbury Park Press, growing even one marijuana plant might result in a five-year prison sentence and a $25,000 fine.

Last October, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy told News12 New Jersey that he "wasn't sure there's a solid answer" as to why the state still criminalized cannabis cultivation, especially for medical reasons. He went on to say that he's "open-minded" about changing the policy.

According to Kovler, the dispensary owner, it's "crazy" that medical marijuana patients can't grow their own plants. "However, we don't make the decisions."

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