As 2025 ended and 2026 commenced with a flurry of legislative
activity in New Jersey touching on cannabis businesses. These
changes, as a whole, impact several material changes to the
marketplace, including: (a) increasing retail license caps; (b)
adopting illicit cannabis enforcement; (c) implementing strict hemp
regulation; (d) updates advertising rules; and (e) expands labor
oversight and compliance obligations for cannabis
businesses.
We outline each of those legislative changes below, and urge
cannabis businesses to closely consider these changes in light of
the opportunities and/or obligations these changes
implement.
Increase in Retail License Caps
Most recently, on November 12, 2025, both Houses of the New
Jersey Legislature passed S4847/A6267 (“S4847”), which
impacts the cannabis operators in several material
respects.