But that doesn’t mean the firms have met the requirements under the law — the Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act — and the initial regulations that the commission issued in August.
“There’s an effort to pressure us to move forward in a way that’s not compliant with the law, and that’s just simply not going to happen,” said Jeff Brown, the cannabis commission’s executive director, during the commission’s Jan.
The tension reflects the drive of investors behind companies with locations in multiple states trying to build momentum and capture market share in the 18 states — including nearby New York and Connecticut — that have legalized cannabis for adults, with more expected.
Brown said none of the eight companies that asked for permission to start selling recreational cannabis had provided all the required information.
But that deadline is squishy at best because of other conditions in the law that are out of the commission’s control and have to be met.
New York-based Columbia Care Inc., which has stores in Deptford and Vineland, predicted in November that recreational sales would start no sooner than April.
Eight of the 10 companies now selling medical cannabis have submitted requests to expand into recreation sales, Brown said.
That was the case with Curaleaf, which has dispensaries in Bellmawr, Bordentown, and Edgewater Park along with cultivation facilities in Bellmawr and Winslow Township.
Edgewater Park had not passed a resolution as of last week, according to Curaleaf.
The municipalities have passed resolutions for all of its locations, including a store in Lodi that is expected to open soon.
That works out to an average of 2,784 patients per store in Pennsylvania, compared with 5,299 in New Jersey.
“If ATCs can barely serve and manage existing patient demand, I’m not sure how they can handle the adult-use market,” Chirali Patel, a New Jersey cannabis lawyer and entrepreneur, said during the commission’s Jan.