NEW JERSEY – The New Jersey Department of Health is looking to open up over 100 more Alternative Treatment Centers (ATC) to expand access to medical marijuana for residents.
The department is looking for applicants to operate 108 more ATCs: 38 in the northern region of the state, up to 38 in the central region, and up to 32 in the southern region.
Endorsements for cultivation, manufacturing and dispensary will be available. The department is looking for up to 24 cultivation endorsements, up to 30 manufacturing endorsements, and up to 54 dispensary endorsements.
“We are at a point where patients just cannot wait any longer for easily accessible, affordable therapy. This request for applications allows for specialization of businesses to increase medical product in our state,” said New Jersey Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal. “In addition, by allowing for three sizes of cultivation endorsements (5,000 square feet, 20,000 square feet and 30,000 square feet), we are increasing opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses to participate in the program.”
Applications for ATCs will be assessed based on the needs for each region, patient need, and the general population of the state and its regions.
With the addition of five new illnesses in March 2018 to the list of medical conditions that qualify patients for medical marijuana, as well as the addition of Opioid Use Disorder in January 2019, the state’s medical marijuana program has expanded greatly. Since the addition of those conditions, the program has added 30,000 new patients, bringing the total patient count to 47,500.
Request for Applications (RFA) can be found on the NJ Department of Health website. Permit application forms for ATCs will be available at nj.gov/health/medicalmarijuana on July 1. Applications are due August 15. The length of time required to review applications and the timeline for announcing awards will depend on the volume of applications received.
A pre-application webinar will be held on July 16 to review the RFA process. You can submit written questions up to July 5 to be reviewed at the webinar. Following the webinar, the Department will post a set of Frequently Asked Questions and responses to those questions.
The six currently operating ATCs and awardees from the July 2018 RFA are also eligible to participate in this application process.
