New Jersey regulators are now accepting applications to operate cannabis consumption lounges from all licensed marijuana dispensaries.
As of Wednesday, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ-CRC) has opened its portal for prospective licensees to receive “consumption area application endorsements,” from “all Class 5 retail operators.”
“Cannabis consumption areas are attached to licensed dispensaries, must have municipal approval and comply with strict regulations to ensure public safety,” NJ-CRC said in a notice last week.
The endorsement application fee is $1,000, consisting of $200 for the initial submission and another $800 that would be paid upon approval. There are also annual licensing fees in the amount of $1,000 for microbusinesses and $5,000 for standard businesses.
“License applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until indicated otherwise,” the commission said.
The commission also provided a step-by-step informational video about how to submit the applications.
Under the rules, consumption lounges cannot sell food or alcohol, but adults 21 and older can bring food or have it delivered if the local government allows it. Medical cannabis patients would be able to bring their own marijuana products.
NJ-CRC members have said they expect the addition of cannabis consumption areas will have a positive economic benefit for the state by generating more tax revenue from marijuana sales and annual fees.
In March, a former New Jersey Senate leader unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination this year said “it is time” to give medical marijuana patients an option to grow their own cannabis plants for personal use. He also pledged to expand clemency for people impacted by marijuana criminalization if elected, and he expressed support for the establishment of cannabis consumption lounges.
The comments from Steve Sweeney, who was the longest-serving Senate president in the state’s history, on home grow depart from what current Gov. Phil Murphy (D) has said on multiple occasions, arguing that the state’s adult-use marijuana market needs to further mature before home grow is authorized.
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Multi-state cannabis company TerrAscend Corp. on Tuesday announced it is exiting the Michigan market, planning to sell or divest the company’s assets in the state, which include four cultivation and processing facilities, 20 retail dispensaries, and real estate.
The company plans to use proceeds from the sales to pay down existing debt.
In a statement, TerrAscend Executive Chairman Jason Wild called the decision “strategic” and said it followed “an extensive evaluation.”
“Michigan is an extremely difficult market, and we have come to the realization that our resources can be better utilized in our other markets. This move will unlock value for TerrAscend and its shareholders. By concentrating our efforts and resources in the company’s core northeastern U.S. markets – New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ohio – I am confident that we are now positioned to deliver stronger financial performance, including improved margins and operational efficiencies.” — Wild in a press release
The actions associated with the Michigan exit plan are expected to include a reduction of approximately 21% of the company’s overall workforce, TerrAscend said, which consists of about 1,200 employees as of June 30, 2025. Most of the reduction is expected to occur by the end of the third quarter of fiscal year 2025.
Following the completion of the plan, the company will operate 19 dispensaries and four cultivation and processing facilities across five U.S. states, including New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio and California, along with facilities in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The Michigan exit is expected to be mostly completed in the second half of this year and the company’s business in Michigan will be reported as discontinued operations beginning with the company’s financial results for the second quarter.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) on Tuesday signed emergency regulations for implementing the state’s voter-approved medical cannabis law. The regulations were approved last week by the state Medical Cannabis Commission.
The regulations allow the state to begin licensing medical cannabis cultivators, product manufacturers, dispensaries, and transporters. Under the rules, individuals or organizations are only permitted one type of license.
During a meeting last week, the commission also entered into a memorandum of agreement with the Governor’s Policy and Research Office and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to assist with legal and administrative processes during the creation of the permanent rules. The permanent rules are due October 1. Pillen said in a press release that the participation of those agencies will ensure Nebraska’s cannabis industry is properly regulated as outlined in the ballot initiatives passed by voters and signed into law.
The regulations allow dispensaries to sell oral tablets, capsules, or tinctures; non-sugarcoated gelatinous cubes, gelatinous rectangular cuboids, or lozenges in a cube or rectangular cuboid shape; topical preparations; suppositories; transdermal patches; and liquids or oils for administration using a nebulizer or inhaler. Neither flower nor infused food or drinks are allowed under the regulations, and any products containing artificial or natural flavoring or coloring, or any products that can be smoked or vaped, are banned.
TG joined Ganjapreneur in 2014 as a news writer and began hosting the Ganjapreneur podcast in 2016. He is based in upstate New York, where he also teaches media studies at a local university.
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A study published Tuesday in the journal Scientific Reports found just 56.7% of flower products tested within 15% of their labeled THC content, while 96% of concentrate products tested by the researchers contained within 15% of their labeled THC content.
Researchers from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and MedPharm Holdings LLC, which operates as Bud & Mary’s, sampled 182 flower and 99 concentrate products – including 27 unique concentrate forms – from 52 Colorado dispensaries in 19 counties for the study between November 29, 2022, and October 3, 2023. Four flower products were excluded from the analysis due to misprinted or absent THC potency labeling.
“Observed THC potency was significantly lower than labeled potency in both flower and concentrate products. Nearly all tested concentrate products met the accuracy threshold for THC content, whereas flower products frequently did not. Both product types had lower observed THC content compared to labeled values.” — “Accuracy of labeled THC potency across flower and concentrate cannabis products,” Scientific Reports, July 1, 2025
The researchers found, for flower products, the mean labeled THC potency was 22.5% while the observed potency was 20.8%, while for concentrates, the mean labeled THC potency was 73.0% with an observed potency of 70.7%.
The researchers note that “discrepancies between federal and state cannabis laws have resulted in varied regulation and oversight.”
Inflated THC levels reported on cannabis product labels have long been an issue in the industry, and lawsuits have been filed against cannabis companies and laboratories in Arkansas, California, and Massachusetts. In 2020, regulators in Washington state suspended the license of Praxis Labs after finding it had falsified over 1,200 results in order to inflate THC levels. A study published last year in the Journal of Cannabis Research that analyzed 107 adult-use flower products collected at random by law enforcement in California, Oregon, and Colorado found over 70% of products fell outside of a 20% accuracy threshold for THC potency – of which all but one of the inaccurately labeled products included inflated THC levels.
