Cannabis operators say consumption lounge process too slow

The state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission approved rules for consumption lounges in January, but no applications are yet available to entrepreneurs who want to open the lounges.

Alyza Brevard-Rodriguez, CEO and founder of The Other Side Dispensary in Jersey City, said waiting for the green light from the commission hasn’t just been time-consuming, it’s also been expensive. And without a timeline or direction from the state on how she can build out her consumption lounge, she said she is stuck in limbo.

“We have built this business organically through community and this dispensary is performing very, very well. But the reality is that we take on so much debt, there is so much red tape and the waiting game month over month paying for rent…”

Christopher Riggs, the active executive director of the commission, said, “I don’t think there are any obstacles. I think we have the rules in place. I think that we were concerned about the market and making sure that this industry gets established before diving into a new space with consumption areas.”