Yo, what up fam, it’s ya boy Dan comin’ at ya with some lit news straight outta New Jersey’s cannabis scene. So, check it, it’s been two years since the recreational cannabis market in Jersey popped off in April, and the adult-use revenue been on the rise. Now, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ-CRC) just dropped a bomb on us with a fresh move to get peeps to cop or renew their medical cards.
The NJ-CRC just announced that signin’ up or renewing them digital medical cards gonna be free now. They tryna make patient access easier and more convenient by droppin’ these new digital cards on our phones real soon. No more stress about losin’ or messin’ up them physical cards, y’all. It’s all about makin’ life easier for the patients.
For those who still wanna rock a physical card, the NJ-CRC slashed the registration fees to just $10. That ten bucks covers you until your next renewal, which gonna cost you another ten beans two years down the line.
They also did a whole survey about how peeps feel ’bout the program, and turns out less than 9% of patients ain’t vibin’ with Patient Services at the NJ-CRC. Some folks had issues with healthcare provider fees, product prices, and availability, but over half of ’em were in it for the discounts and tax exemptions. Plus, they diggin’ them specific strains and products reserved for patients.
They also got registration clinics poppin’ off across Jersey in the next few months, so keep an eye out for those dates.
Now let’s talk ’bout this decline in Jersey’s medical cannabis scene. The numbers have been droppin’ since they launched that recreational market, which ain’t surprising. Sales been goin’ up for recreational while medical been takin’ a hit.
Back in April 2022 when they kicked off rec sales, there were 128,548 registered patients in Jersey. Fast forward to January 2024, and that number done dropped to 88,670, a decrease of about 31% in less than two years. The medical cannabis sales fell hard too, from $61.1 million in 2022’s third quarter to $29.2 million in 2023’s third quarter.
On the flip side, rec sales been on the rise year-over-year. From around $177.7 million in the third quarter of 2022 to $206.1 million in the third quarter of 2023.
So why these changes? Well, it seems like they tryna get more peeps into the medical program to save some cash on taxes. Rec products in Jersey get hit with a 6.625% sales tax plus all kinda other fees. But if you got that medical card? Tax relief city.
Medical programs usually offer cheaper prices, special products, higher doses, and other perks that can make it worth it even with the decline goin’ on.
We gotta wait and see if these changes gon’ turn things around for Jersey’s medical cannabis game. The patient satisfaction survey they did showed most peeps are cool with the program overall, but there’s still room for improvement.
So keep your eyes peeled for more updates on what’s goin’ down in Jersey’s cannabis scene. And remember, stay lit fam!