Q&A With Newly Appointed Chair of NJ Cannabis Trade Association Talks Legalization, Medical Marijuana
Shaya Brodchandel is the CEO of Harmony Dispensary in Secaucus and chair of the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association, which formed last year out of collaboration among the 12 licensed medical marijuana companies in New Jersey.
The association could grow this year if the state issues new medical and legal marijuana licenses to growers, processors, and dispensers of cannabis.
We spoke to Brodchandel about the new organization, legalization, and its plans for 2021.
This interview first appeared in NJ Cannabis Insider. It has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Q: What is the mission of the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association?
A: The mission and the purpose of the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association are to form a collective effort of the operators in New Jersey to share our experience and help shape the program for various stakeholders and legislators and advocates.
We have a position that is shared with various groups and that comes from industry expertise. We have all different types of operators, from multi-state operators to just Jersey operators with different levels of expertise.
Q: What is enabling legislation does NJCTA support, and what does it dislike?
A: There are no caps on social equity licenses, we were in support of that. That’s something that we saw as important. The industry as a whole supports the advocates for minorities and social equity licenses and groups, and we’re going to reach out and do a lot of collaboration with them.
The cultivation tax — we do agree on raising the funds and earmarking it to social justice and equity. We just are not in agreement on the mechanism. We support it being on the point of retail, not on the cultivation.
Adult-use has taxes different than medical products. If you’re going to differentiate at the point of cultivation, you’re going to create an issue at both markets.
Q: After nothing happening in 2020, 2021 is the year we expect new licenses from the 2019 RFA and legalization. These could become NJCTA members. Who can join and how will they benefit?
A: I think it’s important to include everyone that is operating in the state, that is licensed by the state. We would welcome the opportunity and extend an invitation to any licensed operator. Everyone brings different types of expertise to the table.
They would have to agree to the association’s policies and viewpoints and have the normal membership dues. But aside from that, there are no special requirements. As soon as they’re licensed, we will invite them to join.
Q: What will the NJCTA be looking at in 2021?
A: The insurance reimbursement from private insurers and workers’ comp is something that we’d like to put a focus on this year. We think we can do the maximum to assist medical patients to get reimbursed.
The decoupling of the 280e, it’s a tax code with the federal government. It was included in the original bill. It wasn’t included there to decouple it at the end. That’s something that we’d like to see, the state decoupling the 280e.
There’s another bill, S2875. That bill we see the investment to create a mutually beneficial partnership and a fund where we can help minority businesses get up to a certain percentage in their business. We feel that [having] cannabis operators in their source of funding is great because it comes with not just funds, but experience and other expertise that we offer. I think it’s a great opportunity for minorities to benefit from a fund like this. ATCs are regulated, they’re businesses, they’re vetted. They have experience.
The legislators weren’t ready to put it and open the floodgates, but homegrown for medical patients up to a limited amount of plants. Seven, we think is a good thing for medical patients who depend on the medicine to have the ability to grow it.
Q: The ATCs received criticism for coming out pretty late before the referendum to give their support financially. What’s the response to that?
A: I can tell you that each ATC individually worked and helped shape what they could in the referendum. As a group, we organized at the end of the year. We began collaborating unofficially as we started working in response to COVID. As a group, we organized later on in the year, but that didn’t stop each ATC on an individual basis as they have done alongside to stand behind the bill and support it.