Why do local cannabis entrepreneurs find state processes difficult?

Following the launch of the recreational cannabis marketplace in April, eight out-of-state entities have dominated the landscape, opening and operating all 20 dispensaries currently licensed to sell across New Jersey.

However, Harmony Foundation in Secaucus is hoping to change that by becoming the first New Jersey-based, nonprofit medical dispensary to expand into the state’s adult-use market.

Harmony, one of the recipients of the original six alternative treatment center (ATC) permits granted by the New Jersey Department of Health, began operating in June 2018 under the Medicinal Cannabis Program and has had its permit renewed annually by the state ever since.