Section 24:6I-12 - Reports to Governor, Legislaturea. The commissioner, or after the effective dates of P.L. 2019, c. 153(C.24:6I-5.1 et al.) and P.L. 2021, c. 16(C.24:6I-31 et al.), the commission, shall report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L. 1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1): (1) no later than one year after the effective date of P.L. 2009, c. 307(C.24:6I-1 et al.), on the actions taken to implement the provisions of P.L. 2009, c. 307(C.24:6I-1 et al.); and(2) annually thereafter on the number of applications for registration with the commission, the number of qualifying patients registered, the number of designated and institutional caregivers registered, the nature of the qualifying medical conditions of the patients, the number of registrations revoked, the number of medical cannabis cultivator, medical cannabis manufacturer, and medical cannabis dispensary permits issued and revoked, the number and type of integrated curricula approved, established, and maintained in connection with an IC permit, the number of testing laboratories licensed, the number of clinical registrant permits issued and the nature of the clinical research conducted by each clinical registrant, any incidents of diversion of medical cannabis, information concerning racial, ethnic, disabled veteran, and gender diversity in the individuals issued and currently holding permits issued by the commission, the number of permit applications received from businesses owned by minorities, disabled veterans, and women and the number of such applications that were approved, the business development initiatives undertaken by the Office of Minority, Disabled Veterans, and Women Cannabis Business Development pursuant to section 32 of P.L. 2019, c. 153(C.24:6I-25) and the outcomes or effects of those initiatives, statistics concerning arrests for drug offenses throughout the State and in areas where medical cannabis dispensaries are located, including information concerning racial disparities in arrest rates for drug offenses generally and cannabis offenses in particular, the number of motor vehicle stops by law enforcement involving violations of R.S. 39:4-50, or section 5 of P.L. 1990, c.103 (C.39:3-10.13) concerning operators of commercial motor vehicles, for driving under the influence of medical cannabis, or suspicion thereof, cataloged by the jurisdictions in which the stop occurred, and the race, ethnicity, gender, and age of the vehicle driver and any other vehicle occupants, the number of deliveries of medical cannabis performed and the percentage of total medical cannabis dispensations that were completed by delivery, and the number of health care practitioners authorizing patients for the medical use of cannabis, including the types of license or certification held by those practitioners; and(3) beginning no later than one year after the effective date of P.L. 2021, c. 16(C.24:6I-31 et al.), and annually thereafter in the same report concerning information on medical cannabis activities or a separate report, information on: (a) the number of citations, arrests, or charges for manufacturing, distributing, or possessing or having under control with the intent to distribute marijuana or hashish in violation of paragraph (12) of subsection b. of N.J.S. 2C:35-5, or for obtaining or possessing marijuana or hashish in violation of paragraph (3) of subsection a. of N.J.S. 2C:35-10, cataloged by the jurisdictions in which the acts resulting in the citations, arrests, or charges occurred, and the race, ethnicity, gender, and age of the persons cited, arrested, or charged;(b) the number of motor vehicle stops by law enforcement involving violations of R.S. 39:4-50, or section 5 of P.L. 1990, c.103 (C.39:3-10.13) concerning operators of commercial motor vehicles, for driving under the influence of personal use cannabis or marijuana, or suspicion thereof, cataloged by the jurisdictions in which the stop occurred, and the race, ethnicity, gender, and age of the vehicle driver and any other vehicle occupants;(c) the total number of personal use cannabis licenses issued since the distribution of the previous report to the Governor and Legislature, as well as the number for each class of license issued, and the total number and type of applicants that submitted applications for licenses and whether they were approved, reapproved, or denied; and(d) the data compiled by the Office of Minority, Disabled Veterans, and Women Cannabis Business Development pursuant to section 32 of P.L. 2019, c. 153(C.24:6I-25) about participation in the lawful operation of cannabis establishments, distributors, and delivery services by persons from socially and economically disadvantaged communities, including minority, disabled veterans', and women's business licensing and business development in the personal use cannabis marketplace, and the data shall include the office's analysis of the total number of licenses applied for and issued since the distribution of the previous report to the Governor and Legislature compared with the total number of minority businesses and women's businesses, as these terms are defined in section 2 of P.L. 1986, c.195 (C.52:27H-21.18), and disabled veterans' businesses, as defined in section 2 of P.L. 2015, c. 116(C.52:32-31.2), that submitted applications for licenses and whether they were approved, reapproved, or denied.b. The reports shall not contain any identifying information of patients, caregivers, or health care practitioners.c.(1) Within two years after the effective date of P.L. 2009, c. 307(C.24:6I-1 et al.) and every two years thereafter, the commissioner or, after the effective date of P.L. 2019, c. 153(C.24:6I-5.1 et al.), the commission, shall: evaluate whether there are sufficient numbers of medical cannabis cultivators, medical cannabis manufacturers, medical cannabis dispensaries, and clinical registrants to meet the needs of registered qualifying patients throughout the State; evaluate whether the maximum amount of medical cannabis allowed pursuant to P.L. 2009, c. 307(C.24:6I-1 et al.) is sufficient to meet the medical needs of qualifying patients; and determine whether any medical cannabis cultivator, medical cannabis manufacturer, medical cannabis dispensary, or clinical registrant has charged excessive prices in connection with medical cannabis. The commissioner or, after the effective date of P.L. 2019, c. 153(C.24:6I-5.1 et al.), the commission, shall report all such findings no later than two years after the effective date of P.L. 2009, c. 307(C.24:6I-1 et al.), and every two years thereafter, to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L. 1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1).
(2) The commission, beginning no later than one year after the effective date of P.L. 2021, c. 16(C.24:6I-31 et al.), may also include in its reports information concerning its periodic evaluation of whether the existing numbers of cannabis cultivators, cannabis manufacturers, cannabis wholesalers, cannabis distributors, cannabis retailers, and cannabis delivery services are sufficient to meet the personal use cannabis market demands of the State, and actions the commission may take to issue additional cannabis licenses as authorized by paragraph (1) of subsection a. of section 18 of P.L. 2021, c. 16(C.24:6I-35), or if there is an oversupply of licenses, as well as information about any increase in the rates of use of marijuana and cannabis by persons under 21 years of age.Amended by L. 2021, c. 16, s. 7, eff. 2/22/2021.Amended by L. 2019, c. 153, s. 20, eff. 7/2/2019.Added by L. 2009, c. 307,s. 14, eff. 10/1/2010.See L. 2010, c. 36, s. 1.