First cannabis consumption lounges open in New Jersey

In what state marijuana officials hailed as a “major milestone” for the New Jersey cannabis industry, the state’s first four cannabis consumption lounges have opened for business.

Two of them are located in Atlantic City, and have opened as police crack down on smoking marijuana on the city’s famed Boardwalk, NBC Philadelphia reported.

After a lengthy process, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission approved four consumption lounge permits on July 15.

Interested social-equity dispensaries could apply for a permit starting on Jan. 2.

The first four with permits are:

All of four are state-certified “Diversely Owned Businesses,” which means they are minority-owned, woman-owned, or disabled veteran-owned, according to the CRC.

And for all of them, it was a long time coming.

“We waited almost 16 months to get this open, Sunny Tien Dispensary’s Spencer Belz told NBC10.

Consumption lounges must comply with rigorous public safety and ventilation rules. They’re also forbidden from allowing nicotine or alcohol consumption.

Jon Cohn of High Rollers questioned whether it would be worth opening a lounge without alcohol but said it seems to be working so far.

“One of the things we were questioning was how people would receive the lack of alcohol,” he said.

“And there were a few people on Monday that did ask for it and dishonored it, but I’d say 35, 80% were just has happy with mocktails.”

Law enforcement hopes the lounges will help stop people smoking cannabis illegally in public.

So far this summer, police have issued at least 22 summonses to people for illegally consuming cannabis in public.