CRC launches new initiatives as NJ cannabis market takes hold

As New Jersey’s legalized cannabis marketplace enters its next phase of growth, regulators are introducing guidelines for the rollout of cannabis-infused edible products and regulations for medical-based ventures seeking to participate in clinical research, as well as opening up three additional classes of business licenses.Currently, the only types of digestible cannabis goods available at dispensaries in New Jersey are syrups, pills, tablets, tinctures, lozenges and soft chews. But cannabis-infused drinks, other candies and pastry-style treats are coming soon now that regulators have voted to relax restrictions on edibles.At its Sept. 8 meeting, the Cannabis Regulatory Commission proposed new rules that would allow for an expanded group of ingestible cannabis products – including baked goods, chocolates, butters, jams and drinks – to be sold in the medicinal and recreational markets.Under the regulations, products must have clearly displayed nutrition information, warning labels and expiration dates, along with child-resistant packaging that doesn’t have any imagery or names that could pique kids’ interest. The products are also prohibited from containing alcohol or nicotine, must be ready to consume and manufactured by staff trained in food safety.Additionally, edibles will be limited to 10 milligrams of THC per serving, while drinks will be capped at 5 milligrams.“We did research looking at other markets and other states’ regulations,” CRC Executive Director Jeff Brown said of the THC amounts. “I think we wanted to make sure that particularly with beverages where somebody might sit down to have a couple of seltzers or whatever, you want to make sure that they’re not overdoing it.”“So, I’d say 5 milligrams THC would be akin to probably like an IPA or something like that. Whereas if somebody wassitting down and having a 10 milligram THC beverage, for some people that could be quite a lot. For beverages specifically, we wanted to make sure there was a reasonable limit even below that 10 milligram threshold,” he said.The proposal, which was approved in a 4-0 vote by the board, is subject to a 60-day public comment period, running from Oct. 16 through Dec. 15. But because finalization of the new rules could take up to six months, the commission also took steps to let manufacturers start production to meet expected demand.According to Brown, the regulatory waivers approved by the CRC will enable some edibles to be made and sold while the proposed guidelines are under public comment and through the adoption process.“Overall, I believe that this will help New Jersey’s market move further toward a more mature cannabis market. It will really expand product offerings akin to what you see in markets that might be at this for five or 10 years,” Brown said. “I think there’s been excitement from the industry.”“We had a longstanding medicinal market and one of the things that we dealt with was that the law originally signed by Gov. Christie back in 2010 essentially banned edible products except for children,” he said. “It wasn’t until 2019, [and the] Jake Honig [Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis] Act that we even started to get more edible-like products in the medicinal market. When we transitioned to adult use, we had gummies and lozenges available in medicinal, so those were the first products that transitioned over.“In planning for this, we had to do some research and look at commercial kitchen regulations that are under the Department of Health,” he said. “A lot of the products that were made in the medicinal context were made kind of more like a drug that somebody would take rightfully so for a health ailment, so ingredients had to be on an FDA [Food & Drug Administration] database for inactive drug ingredients.

Overall, I believe that this will help New Jersey’s market move further toward a more mature cannabis market. … I think there’s been excitement from the industry.
– Jeff Brown, CRC executive director

“In these waivers and in the rules, we expanded the ingredients available for ingestible products to what are called FDA GRAS [Generally Recognized As Safe] ingredients. So, that will really enable the ingredients you see in the foods on grocery store shelves to be used to make these products,” he said.Brown continued, “I will note when we’re talking about this expansion, it’s not going to be products that will spoil quickly without refrigeration. They have to be shelf stable in order to be produced and sold. The maximum expiration date is six months, but it’s up to the license holder to determine that based on scientific and safety data. These products, like any other cannabis product, will be required to be third party tested, and that will include testing for salmonella, E. coli and other common contaminants before they’re brought to market.”“One of the things that we’ve done with this rollout, and particularly as we look to edible products, is we took our time and we did our research. Consumer safety comes first at the end of the day, and we want to make sure that people have confidence in this market, that people have confidence in regulated products. And I think the process that we’ve followed ensures that that will be the case,” he said.CONTINUE READING THE FULL  ARTICLE HERE