BREAKING: Major Flaws Found in New Jersey Cannabis License Scoring

Update: Read our full analysis of the 7 problems in the New Jersey cannabis license application.

The 250 minimum points required for New Jersey annual cannabis license applications is impossible to achieve as a result of a miscalculation.

The Cannabis Regulatory Commission did not factor out license-class-specific scoring measures for each license type, resulting in a situation where no annual applicants can earn the required minimum points.

The following are the scoring measures for the 2021 New Jersey Adult-Use Cannabis Annual Cultivation, Manufacturing, and Retail licenses:

Business and Financial Plan – 20
Operations Plan – 20
Business Experience – 10
Environmental Impact – 10
Safety and Security – 10
Community Impact – 10
Workforce Development – 20
SOP Adverse Event – 10
SOP Quality Control – 10
SOP Recall – 10
SOP Packaging and Labeling – 10
SOP Inventory – 10
SOP Records – 10
SOP Waste Disposal – 10
SOP Accounting & Tax Compliance – 10
SOP Reporting of Test results – 10

TOTAL of ABOVE: 190 BASE points for ALL annual licenses.

 

Then we add the following scored measures, which only apply to specific licenses:

SOP Secure Transport – Class 1 and 2 ONLY – 10
SOP Cultivation – Class 1 ONLY – 10

These two measures above add 20 points to the base total of 190 = 210 total possible base points for Class 1 licenses.

SOP Manufacturing – Class 2 ONLY – 10
SOP Secure Transport – Class 1 and 2 ONLY – 10

These two measures above add 20 points to the base total of 190 = 210 total possible base points for Class 2 licenses.

SOP Dispensing: Class 5 ONLY – 10
SOP Delivery: Class 5 ONLY – 10
SOP Age Verification: Class 5 ONLY – 10

These three scored measures above add 30 points to the base total of 190 = 220 total possible base points for Class 5 licenses.

Therefore, it is not possible for any annual license applicant to achieve 250 points without bonus points, which the CRC has made clear are only factored for priority purposes after the applicant passes the base point score needed to receive full review for approval consideration.

 

We have submitted a statement and question to the State of New Jersey for clarification on this scoring discrepancy. Please bookmark this post to learn the state’s response.