NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ-CRC) Commissioners Amelia Mapp and Harris Laufer were eager for an underground legacy cannabis market crackdown and legal collaboration at the Ignite It NJ Spotlight cannabis conference held in Jersey City.
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Susana Puntel of the American Trade Association of Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH) moderated a panel with them. She said they are very transparent.
Puntel explained that Laufer is the Mayor of Springfield in Union County. He was also involved with the passage of the cannabis legalization law CREAMMA as NJ Senate President Nick Scutari’s (D-22-Union) former Policy Director.
Laufer noted the need to ensure social justice and social equity in the market.
Mapp said she is a real estate agent and accountant. She sought to be welcoming and transparent.
“We listen to your voices … and we share it,” she said.
Mapp said it was rewarding to see people succeed in working and operating the industry.
Puntel noted Mapp went to an expungement clinic by Blaze Responsibility attorney and advocate Chirali Patel.
“I feel good to see people with that weight lifted off their shoulders,” Mapp explained.
CRC Commissioners Eager for Underground Legacy Crackdown
Puntel asked Laufer to describe some changes that will occur from legislation passed in the lame duck session and signed into law.
He endorsed the underground legacy crackdown signed into law by former Governor Phil Murphy as part of a bill that also reformed the NJ-CRC. Laufer explained the NJ-CRC will be part of a Task Force with the NJ Attorney General and State Police, which he claimed will “allow the legal market to flourish.”
“As a Mayor, when you see a 50-year-old detective walking into a smoke shop and asking for flower, I don’t know that’s there’s necessarily a high success rate in finding illegal operations,” he noted.
“We’ve loosened the threshold to talk to the Commissioners. There was a high barrier to entry to speak to the Commissioners,” Laufer added. “When you play government telepehone you get the result of telephone…”
This is a good point. A lot of the outrage could have been dispersed by sympathetic emails and short talks by Commissioners.
The new Commissioners also benefit from the solid work done by former Commissioners Sam Delgado, Maria Del Cid-Kosso, and Charles Barker to set up and staff the NJ-CRC.
Plus, most of the initial applications have already been processed by Investigators and Inspectors. Heady NJ has heard they vary greatly in policy expertise and quality.
“As we get rid of the illicit market, investors would be more inclined to put their money into the market,” Mapp claimed.
Cannabis Collaboration Ideas
Laufer wanted to work more with the industry and find the “sweet spot” between over-and-under-regulation.
The sweet spot is probably in the eye of the beholder. Greedy sharks will always say it’s over-regulated, and angry radicals will always say it’s under-regulated.
Especially without homegrow.
Laufer wanted to create a “business roundtable” to foster a good relationship.
“We should initiate a social justice roundtable,” he argued.
“We need to engage our community members in letting the industry adapt,” Laufer added.
Mapp said, “success is when the illicit market doesn’t threaten legitimate businesses.”
Puntel agreed with them and noted she had been among those especially unhappy with intoxicating hemp and testified against it.
They didn’t seem to differentiate between hemp and legacy sales very much.
NJ Weed Crackdown Issues
Unfortunately, in Jersey, we have opportunistic store owners who want to make money and don’t seem to care what they’re selling.
We also have local small businessmen who provide quality cannabis products to consumers at affordable prices in some legal smoke shops and the underground legacy market.
Ignite It NJ Cannabis Market Spotlight Conference Fun
The sold-out conference was organized by Patrick and Eliot Lane. They spun Ignite It off Benzinga, which got out of weed after they held conferences in Central Jersey in 2024 and 2025.
While crowded, it was very well organized. Many attendees filled the panel room along with the vendor hall and connecting hallway.
Many independent cannabis operators were on the scene, along with a few smaller Multi-State Operators (MSOs).
The NJ cannabis market is steadily growing, and the conference reflected it.
While some who took a while to open are struggling, some are doing well. It’s like riding a bull. The ones that hang on get seasoned and better at it.
