32. a. There is hereby established in the commission an Office of Minority, Disabled Veterans, and Women Cannabis Business Development. The office shall be under the immediate supervision of a director. The director of the office shall be appointed by the Governor, and shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing Governor during the Governor’s term of office and until a successor has been duly appointed and qualified. Any vacancy in the directorship occurring for any reason other than the expiration of the director’s term of office shall be filled for the unexpired term only in the same manner as the original appointment. The director shall receive an annual salary as provided by law which shall be at an amount not to exceed the annual salary of the executive director of the commission.

b. (1) The office shall establish and administer, under the direction of the commission, unified practices and procedures for promoting participation in the medical cannabis and personal use cannabis industries by persons from socially and economically disadvantaged communities, including by prospective and existing ownership 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), to be issued medical cannabis cultivator, medical cannabis manufacturer, medical cannabis dispensary, and clinical registrant permits, or cannabis cultivator, cannabis manufacturer, cannabis wholesaler, cannabis distributor, cannabis retailer, and cannabis delivery service licenses. These unified practices and procedures shall include the certification and subsequent recertification at regular intervals of a business as a minority or women’s business, or a disabled veterans’ business, in accordance with eligibility criteria and a certification application process established by the commission through regulation in consultation with the office.

(2) The office shall conduct advertising and promotional campaigns, and shall disseminate information to the public, to increase awareness for participation in the medical cannabis and personal use cannabis industries by persons from socially and economically disadvantaged communities. To this end, the office shall sponsor seminars and informational programs, and shall provide information on the commission’s Internet website, providing practical information concerning the medical cannabis and personal use cannabis industries, including information on business management, marketing, and other related matters.

c. (1) The office shall develop, recommend, and implement policies, practices, protocols, standards, and criteria designed to promote the formulation of medical cannabis business entities and personal use cannabis establishments, distributors, and delivery services and participation in the medical cannabis and personal use cannabis industries by persons from socially and economically disadvantaged communities, including by promoting applications for, and the issuance of, medical cannabis cultivator, medical cannabis manufacturer, medical cannabis dispensary, and clinical registrant permits, and cannabis cultivator, cannabis manufacturer, cannabis wholesaler, cannabis distributor, cannabis retailer, and cannabis delivery services licenses, to certified minority, women’s, and disabled veterans’ businesses.

(a) The office shall evaluate the effectiveness of the measures designed to promote participation in the medical cannabis industry by considering whether the measures have resulted in new medical cannabis cultivator, medical cannabis manufacturer, and medical cannabis dispensary permits being issued in accordance with the provisions of subsection g. of section 12 of P.L.2019, c.153 (C. 24:6I-7.2).

(b) The effectiveness of the office’s measures designed to promote participation in the personal use cannabis industry shall be assessed by considering whether the measures have resulted in not less than 30 percent of the total number of licenses issued by the commission for personal use cannabis establishments, distributors, and delivery services under P.L.2021, c.16 (C. 24:6I-31 et al.) being issued to minority, women’s, and disabled veterans’ businesses certified in accordance with the certification process established by the office pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection b. of this section. Of the resulting total number of licenses issued for personal use cannabis establishments, distributors, and delivery services, the effectiveness of the office’s measures shall be further assessed by considering whether those measures have resulted in not less than 15 percent of the licenses being issued to certified minority businesses, and not less than 15 percent of the licenses being issued to certified women’s and disabled veterans’ businesses.

(2) The office shall periodically analyze the total number of permits and licenses issued by the commission as compared with the number of certified minority, women’s, and disabled veterans’ businesses that submitted applications for, and that were awarded, such permits and licenses. The office shall make good faith efforts to establish, maintain, and enhance the measures designed to promote the formulation and participation in the operation of medical cannabis entities and personal use cannabis establishments, distributors, and delivery services by persons from socially and economically disadvantaged communities consistent with the standards set forth in paragraph (1) of this subsection, and to coordinate and assist the commission with respect to its incorporation of these permitting and licensing measures into the application and review process for issuing permits and licenses under P.L.2009, c.307 (C. 24:6I-1 et al.) and P.L.2021, c.16 (C. 24:6I-31 et al.).

d. The office may review the commission’s measures regarding participation in the medical cannabis and personal use cannabis industries by persons from socially and economically disadvantaged communities, and minority, women’s, and disabled veterans’ businesses, and make recommendations on relevant policy and implementation matters for the improvement thereof. The office may consult with experts or other knowledgeable individuals in the public or private sector on any aspect of its mission.

e. The office shall prepare information regarding its activities pursuant to this section concerning participation in the medical cannabis and personal use cannabis industries by persons from socially and economically disadvantaged communities, including medical cannabis and personal use cannabis business development initiatives for minority, women’s, and disabled veterans’ businesses participating in the medical and person use cannabis marketplaces, to be incorporated by the commission into its annual report submitted to the Governor and to the Legislature pursuant to section 14 of P.L.2009, c.307 (C. 24:6I-12).

L.2019, c.153, s.32; amended 2021, c.16, s.15.