EDITOR’S NOTE: On Jan. 15, NJ Cannabis Insider hosts a newsmakers networking event in Red Bank, featuring a legislator and business leaders in the hemp and legal cannabis industries. Tickets are limited.

A new decade has everyone thinking about fresh starts, and for New Jersey’s cannabis industry, 2020 could bring the banner year patients, politicians, business owners and more have awaited.

Two years after Gov. Phil Murphy took office and promised to legalize marijuana, the waiting game continues until at least November, when voters will have their say at the ballot.

But before then, the state’s strangled medical marijuana program could nearly double in providers as more dispensaries set up shop. And thanks to recent approval of the state’s hemp production plan by the United States Department of Agriculture, benefits of the booming legal CBD, or cannabidiol, market could be coming to Jersey’s farmers.

With so many moving pieces to keep an eye on, we broke down the 20 people, places and things to watch in the cannabis space this year.

Gov. Phil Murphy speaks as state Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, left, and state Senate President Stephen Sweeney listen outside the State House in Trenton, March, 5, 2019.Aristide Economopoulous | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

1. Members of the Cannabis Regulatory Commission

Currently controlled by the state Department of Health, the medical marijuana program should move under the purview of a new Cannabis Regulatory Commission fairly soon. The Jake Honig Act, which expanded the medical program last July, specified the commission will have five appointed positions; three seats for Gov. Phil Murphy, and then a seat each for Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin’s appointees.

While the act set a deadline of Jan. 2 for the commission to draft and promulgate regulations subject to public comment, it gave no deadline for the appointments.

Parimal Garg, deputy chief counsel to Gov. Phil Murphy, advises the governor on marijuana policy. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media

2. Parimal Garg

Parimal Garg, is deputy chief counsel to Gov. Murphy, advising the governor on marijuana policy. Legalization may be up to the voters, but social justice issues are still on the table. Murphy signed an expungement bill into law last month that will clear records for people arrested for possession of up to five pounds of marijuana, but has also said he would support decriminalizing the drug.

Over the past two years, officials have been wary of decriminalizing marijuana without legalizing it, worrying such a move would bolster the black market. But with legalization on hold as arrests continue, a new push for decriminalization is underway.

Jeff Brown, the assistant commissioner at the state Department of Health who oversees the Division of Medicinal Marijuana, speaks during the opening of Rise Paterson on Friday, December 20, 2019. Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media

3. Jeff Brown

Jeff Brown is assistant commissioner of the state Department of Health and head of the medical marijuana program. A central player in the state medical program, he could take a leading role in the Cannabis Regulatory Commission when it forms. In addition to the medical program, the commission would control the legal weed industry, should voters approve the ballot question.

Devra Karlebach, left, the CEO of GTI New Jersey, speaks during the opening of her company's dispensary, Rise Paterson, on Friday, December 20, 2019. Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media

4. Devra Karlebach,

GTI opened its first New Jersey dispensary in late December as Rise Paterson, becoming the first of six licensees awarded in late 2018 to open its doors. That makes Karlebach, CEO of Green Thumb Industries New Jersey, the newest member of the small group of people shaping medical cannabis in the Garden State.

Phil Norcross, CEO of Parker Way and and co-founder of lobbying group Optimus Partners. (Photo provided)

5. Phil Norcross

Brother to U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, D-N.J., and longtime New Jersey power broker George Norcross, Phil Norcross has his own spheres of influence as the CEO of Parker McKay and co-founder of lobbying firm, Optimus Partners. Optimus, by the way, provides services for cannabis investment firm Acreage Holdings.

James J. Perry, president of the League of Municipalities. (Photo provided)

6. James J. Perry

While out-going League of Municipalities President Colleen Mahr has said she’s committed to continue advocating for cannabis legalization while serving as a vice president, Perry has taken the reigns of the influential organization. He will have have the job of representing local interests in the industry, the power of which can be forgotten in the drama of Trenton politics.

Fruqan Mouzon, cannabis chair with law firm McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter speaks on a panel at the New Jersey Cannabis Insider Live event in Edison, Wednesday October 2, 2019.Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media

7. Fruqan Mouzon

In his former role as the general counsel of the state Senate Majority Office, Mouzon was often part of the behind-the-scenes discussions for legislation, as well as polling before legislators cast their votes. Now in the private sector, Mouzon brings that same expertise to his current position as the cannabis chair of McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter.

Rise Paterson, the newest medical marijuana dispensary, opened its doors in late December following an open hours on Friday, December 20, 2019. Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media

8. The 2018 licensees

Even with Rise Paterson up and running, patients continue to wait to see the five other dispensaries licensed in late 2018 open their doors. They’re going to have to keep waiting, as the future dispensaries have yet to acquire permits from the Health Department to grow or sell marijuana. The applicants received licenses to operate in Vineland, Atlantic City, Ewing, Elizabeth and Phillipsburg.

9. The 2019 licensees

The state’s medical program is poised to balloon when the Health Department licenses up to 24 new operators up and down the state. For the first time, these will include both vertically integrated sites, where a facility must grow, process and sell marijuana all on its own, as well as 15 dispensaries and five facilities for cultivation only. We know that the Health Department has reached at least the second round of reviews, looking at 146 applicants for the 24 slots after eliminating 51.

This file photo shows 'I Voted' stickers given to New Jersey residents following a 2015 election. (Robert Sciarrino | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

10. The ballot question

Will voters finally push legal weed over the finish line? Before they get the chance at the booth in November, expect lots of lobbying dollars to be spent.

Hemp grows at North 40 Flower Farm in North Hampton, New York, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019. Amanda Hoover | NJ Advance Media

11. New Jersey’s Department of Agriculture and the hemp program

The USDA approved the state’s hemp production program late last month, making Jersey one of the first three states to get the green light. Now, it will fall to the NJDA to license growers, and applications are expected to open soon.

12. The 2019 RFA appeals

A court granted a stay in the 2019 RFA review on Dec. 23, after the Health Department denied several groups’ applications because they could not open the PDF files attached. Now, Joshua Bauchner, an attorney for five of the groups, will appeal the denial. This will likely put a delay on the licensing round, and we could see some of the rejects come back into contention.

13. The 15 other states where things could change

Fifteen other states could legalize marijuana or launch medicinal programs via referendums in 2020. They include: Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Nebraska and South Dakota.

A man exhales while smoking an e-cigarette in Portland, Maine, in this 2019 file photo. (Robert F. Bukaty | Associated Press)AP

14. The vaping crisis

Officials have debated how to handle the vaping crisis that has impacted some 2,500 people nationwide. Locally, the state Senate health panel has considered bills that would ban the sale and distribution of flavored e-cigarettes, including menthol, one would increase taxes on vaping products and penalties on vendors who sell to minors in the state and a third that would allow only licensed retailers to sell vaping products in the state.

But it’s not clear those bills will pass in the lame duck session, which ends Jan. 14.

Hound Labs has developed a breathalyzer the company says can pick up THC within two-to-three hours after a user consumes it. (Photo courtesy Hound Labs)

15. Marijuana breathalyzers

Several companies have developed technologies to help police catch and prosecute those who got behind the wheel under the influence of marijuana. It could address a major concern among some of those opposed to legalization. Still, some worry about putting them into practice without the backing of the scientific community and question how quickly the devices can get to market.

U.S. Sen Mike Crapo, R-Idaho

16. U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho

Crapo said in December he does not support the SAFE (Secure and Fair Enforcement) Banking Act, which would enable banks and credit unions to work with businesses in the cannabis industry. While the House passed the bill in September, it must still clear the Senate. Crapo controls the Senate Banking Committee agenda, which would have to vote on the act before it goes before the Senate.

Jerrold Nadler serves as the U.S. Representative for New York's 10th congressional district.U.S. House Office of Photography

17. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-New York

The federal STATES Act (The Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States) has 206 co-sponsors in the House, but it will fall to Nadler to bring it to the floor for a vote as the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. It has bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate.

If passed, the act would recognize state laws that have legalized cannabis, a major step toward ending federal prohibition.

U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colorado.

18. U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colorado.

Gardner is facing an uphill battle to keep his formerly Democrat seat in 2020. One of the prominent Republicans backing federal marijuana legislation, the senator has worked alongside presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, in a bipartisan effort on the STATES Act.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker walks on the stage before a Democratic presidential primary debate, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019, in Atlanta. (John Bazemore | Associated Press)AP

19. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey

Amid campaigning for the Democratic presidential nominee, Booker has repeatedly said he supports legalizing marijuana, and even blasted fellow candidate Vice President Joe Biden over his anti-marijuana comments. The senator has often cited unfair enforcement of marijuana laws that lead disproportionately to the incarceration and minorities.

Stephen Hanh was confirmed as the new commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2019. (Photo courtesy FDA)

20. Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the FDA

The U.S. Senate last month confirmed a new commissioner to helm the FDA. Hahn, a cancer specialist from Texas, has not yet said how the agency should regulate cannabis extracts like CBD, but at his confirmation hearing he said he wants to see more research to see more research to answer “open and unanswered questions” about cannabinoids. The FDA has cracked down on some companies for adding CBD to foods or marketing it as a cure for certain diseases.

A version of this story first ran in NJ Cannabis Insider. NJ Cannabis Insider staff contributed to this report.

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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