Sean Kennedy was seated as an NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commissioner (NJ-CRC) at their July meeting for the first time.
NJ-CRC Chair Harris Laufer noted he has been appointed and took part in their formal roll call.
“I’m honored to be here working alongside such a great group of people. Um, looking forward to getting to work, contributing to the Commission’s mission, and ultimately helping support NJ’s cannabis industry,” Kennedy declared.
He “extended a sincere thank you to NJ Senate President Nick Scutari (D-Union-22) “for giving me the chance to continue to serve the people of New Jersey and truly appreciate his confidence in me and look forward to working with all of you.”
“I’ve known Sean, it’s gotta be close to a decade at this point,” Laufer said. “He’s got vast public sector knowledge.”
“He’ll be a credit to this Commission,” he declared.
There was no public hearing to confirm as a Commissioner prior to the meeting.
New NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commissioner Background
Sean Kennedy was previously the District Director for Scutari.
He is likely the same Sean Kennedy who is a Union County Democratic Committee member from Rahway.
But he is not the Sean Kennedy who on his LinkedIn profile joined the Economic Development Authority (EDA) in February 2026 under Governor Sherrill as initially reported.
NJ-CRC Commissioners
Now there are 5 NJ-CRC Commissioners, which is the number they’re supposed to have.
Laufer was seated to replace Maria Del Cid Kosso, who also had strong ties to Union County. He took over as Chair when former Chair Dianna Houenou stepped down in March 2026 after Governor Mikie Sherrill took office in January.
So, Kennedy is taking Houenou’s seat.
Houenou was a leading the legalization campaign as an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) prior to being an advisor to former Governor Phil Murphy on cannabis policy and criminal justice reform.
