N.J. can resume issuing new medical marijuana licenses after court ruling settles lawsuit
Updated Feb 18, 2021;
The state can resume its review of nearly 150 medical marijuana license applications that have sat untouched for more than a year, thanks to a ruling from a state appellate court Thursday.
The court ruled against all but one medical marijuana license applicant rejected by the Department of Health in 2019. It upheld the department’s denial of seven other applications.
The case, which consolidated eight applicants rejected in an initial review, halted the expansion of New Jersey’s strained medical marijuana program in late 2019 when the court granted a stay in the process. Now, with the stay lifted, the Health Department can reopen its review of 146 applications the state put on hold and resume the process of issuing as many as 24 new licenses.