As Cannabis Stores Are Slow To Open In NJ, Worries Over Delta-8 Sales Grow
Critics say illicit, inferior products threatens the legal recreational market
In Jersey City, searching Google for “dispensary near me” will return dozens of hits — even though the only legal recreational cannabis shops within 10 miles are in Secaucus, Bloomfield, and Elizabeth.
The results include stores with neon cannabis signs in their windows and flashy packaging for edibles that don’t typically sell legal weed, but instead peddle products containing delta-8, a psychoactive chemical found in the cannabis plant that doesn’t give the same effects as the marijuana legalized in New Jersey, which is derived from delta-9.
There’s no license required to sell delta-8, which is not evaluated or approved by federal or state agencies — a loophole convenience stores, gas stations, and smoke shops have pounced on in recent months to fill a gap in the gray cannabis market. Legal recreational stores have been slow to open, and they stock products with stubbornly high prices. Meanwhile, delta-8 gummies, vapes, and joints are cheap and easy to find.
That worries lawmakers who fear kids can get their hands on dangerous chemicals and cannabis entrepreneurs who fear the prevalence of delta-8 products confuses customers and may drive them away from legal cannabis products.
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