in our Spotlight on Business Report the next chapter in New Jersey's recreational Cannabis Market is starting to unfold now that rules for so-called consumption lounges have been approved by state Regulators these are places you can smoke weed or consume Edibles legally and safely but like the rest of the industry these locations will come with a set of strict rules Melissa Rose Cooper reports insane right insane haam m still can't believe his eyes I was born and raised here this city was you know growing up here we always tried to look for places to hang out or just to be us now gy has a chance to create that space when he turns this Jersey City location into one of the first cannabis consumption lounges in New Jersey for the city to allow us to have a space where we can be ourselves express ourselves educate one another um and change the stigma on a product that you know we've been consuming most of our Lives it's it's it's insane it's crazy and that's why I was like I need to be one of the front leaders one of the Pioneers coming into the space especially fits in our hometown we have to set this bar high and keep it there it's another step business owners can take since the Cannabis Regulatory Commission approved rules for cannabis consumption areas last week it's an opportunity for the industry to continue its growth that it's been on that trajectory and growing um it's going to provide access to individuals that weren't able to smoke at home um and they have a place to go and consume cannabis both medical patients and consumers so it's a big part of uh operating in this market and opening up this market and continuing to grow this Market there are several rules to follow for medicinal and adult use operators wanting to expand their space they include requiring any cannabis consumption area to be attached to a dispensary customers must be at least 21 or older medicinal patients must be allowed to bring their own cannabis into the location and food cannot be sold on the premises the reason that that rues in place is because it comes from our enabling statute which is otherwise known as the creem ACT um it's it's written right in the law that you know the law does not allow grocery stores delies indoor Food Markets or any other kind of food or alcohol to be sold on the premises or in or around the premises of a cannabis retailer and because a cannabis consumption area has to be attached to a cannabis retailer we need to follow the law and directive and the enabling legislation that the legislator gave to us as an executive branch agency Eliza bad Rodriguez CEO of the other side dispensary believes there's room for the rulle to grow but I think sometimes we need to sort of set the landscape first see what that looks like and I think when it comes to leg legislators and policy makers you know as long as they're willing to always come back to the table and listen to folks that are actually running these facilities and can give them best practice then we have room to be able to grow and offer more within those spaces despite facing challenges many small businesses in the Cannabis Market encounter like getting Municipal approval and securing enough funding she's hoping to open the doors to the other side's consumption Lounge by this summer this is just such a different landscape it's really really not intended for us if you look at the cost to start one of these up you're you're looking at a million and up so just even being able to fundraise to have the access to folks to be able to contribute to what you're doing and for them to even see your vision I'm just I'm so excited not only for my own freedom but the freedom that I can bring to the other people around me whether that be my team my leadership and also my investors although cannabis consumption lounges won't be able to have food for sale in the premises patrons will be able ble to bring food or have it delivered food trucks outside the location will also be allowed the rules are now pending approval from the State Office of administrative law for NJ Spotlight news I'm Melissa Rose [Music] Cooper