State seeks 108 new medical cannabis treatment centers

The number of ATC applicants — as well as the needs for each region — are based on the department’s assessment of patient need as well as the general population of the state and its regions, according to a release.

“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.”

In March 2018, the department added five additional illnesses to the list of medical conditions that qualify patients for medical marijuana. In January 2019, the department added one additional condition, opioid use disorder. Since the addition of those conditions, which include two types of chronic pain, anxiety, migraine and Tourette’s syndrome, the program has added 30,000 new patients, bringing the total patient count to 47,500 as of today.

A Request for Applications was noticed in today’s New Jersey Register and published on the department’s website here.

Permit application forms for ATCs will be available at http://www.nj.gov/health/medicalmarijuana on July 1. Applications are due Aug. 15. The length of time required to review applications and the timeline for announcing awards will depend on the volume of applications received.

The department will hold a pre-application webinar on July 16 to review the RFA process and the most commonly submitted questions. It will accept 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 eligible to participate in this application process.

Additional ATCs are necessary to meet the needs of the growing patient population, the release stated.