Controlled Substances and Regulatory Law

Business Delayed is Business Denied for Potential Cannabis Licensees

According to a recent report in the NJCannabis Insider (subscription required) applicants from the 2019 Request for Applications for medical cannabis licensing denied due to corruption of their online applications continue to await their day in court.

Josh Bauchner, an attorney with Ansell Grimm & Aaron PC representing several clients who were disqualified from the RFA, told NJCannabis Insider the state made it clear it had no intention of settling the case despite concerns from the presiding judge that further delays may cause serious harm to medical cannabis patients.

Bauchner’s pursuing redress for his clients due to data corruption of the PDF version of their applications based on the belief that the corruption was due to problems with the Department of Health’s online submission portal or the PDF files obtained from the DOH.

He noted that his clients have been placed at a significant disadvantage in the marketplace, as the existing and subsequently successful licenses have been able to move forward developing their business while those denied will still require significant time to become operational.

“This could all be fixed with a pen stroke,” Bauchner told NJCannabis Insider. “Someone in leadership in Trenton, all they have to do is say, ‘Permit people to resubmit their applications and restart scoring.’ You could probably award these licenses in 30 days.”

NJ Cannabis Insider reports on recent event, highlighting speakers including Joshua Bauchner

NJ Cannabis Insider reported on its largest panel and networking event, NJ Cannabis Insider Live: The Road to Legalization held on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, at the New Jersey Convention and Expo Center in Edison. The event featured regulators, industry power players, entrepreneurs and professionals.

Among the speakers highlighted were Joshua Bauchner of Ansell, Grimm & Aaron. Other speakers included Jeff Brown, assistant commissioner in charge of the Department of Health’s Medicinal Marijuana Program; Joseph Zoltowski, plant industry director for the state Department of Agriculture; Scott Rudder, president of the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association; Janice Kovach, mayor of Clinton and the first vice president of the New Jersey League of Municipalities; and South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum.

Read the full article on NJCannabisInsider.nj.com  (subscription required)

New Jersey Launches A Hemp Program In Accord With The Federal Hemp Farming Act Of 2018

New Jersey recently launched a hemp program in accord with the federal Hemp Farming Act of 2018  which removed hemp (generally defined as cannabis with less than 0.3% THC) from Schedule I of the  Controlled Substances Act instead treating it as an ordinary agricultural commodity. Its provisions were incorporated into the 2018 United States Farm bill that became law on December 20, 2018.

New Jersey State Senate President Steve Sweeney spoke at the State Agricultural Convention this month expressing his hopes for the emerging industrial hemp industry in the State, calling hemp the “next major cash crop for New Jersey.”  New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Doug Fisher also praised this emerging industry: (more…)

Joshua S. Bauchner to Present at the 2nd Annual Cannabis Symposium

Event: 2nd Annual Cannabis Symposium

Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Location: Webcast

Details: Ansell Grimm & Aaron shareholder, Joshua S. Bauchner will present at the 2nd Annual Cannabis Symposium presented by the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education (NJICLE) in cooperation with the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) Cannabis Law Special Committee. On Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at 9:10 a.m., Bauchner will join David Vitale, VP, Optimus Partners, LLC in sharing insights on getting legalization on the ballot and into law.

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