the state's cannabis Regulatory Commission delivered a shocking blow yesterday when it rejected the recreational license renewal for cure relief the state's largest cannabis dispensary CRC board members said they denied the license because curly failed to engage in collective bargaining with its Union employees a condition of maintaining their license in the state curaleleaf says the move will cost some 500 New Jersey employees their jobs and others are concerned the move could upend the recreational Cannabis Marketplace which will hit its one-year anniversary next Friday Melissa Rose Cooper attended the CRC meeting to bring us the latest on who else was approved and denied in this slow-moving marijuana Marketplace the resolution passes a dream come true because Sahara Johnson as The cannabis Regulatory Commission approved this application to convert from a conditional to annual license man it was a hard journey I'm everything from getting Municipal approval to get in real estate to um getting investors and now you know finally getting this license and hopefully being able to open my doors Johnson's business this was one of three awarded an annual license during Thursday's CRC meeting but the commission also took surprising action against the state's largest cannabis supplier cure relief almost one year after recreational sales began the CRC declined to renew the company's adult use annual license the commission citing a number of concerns including an apparent layoff announcement that was made before the information was provided to the CRC I think it's important for the board to have and the staff as well at large to have proper Insight And Timely notice of major changes to a facility operations the crc's decision coming just minutes after Curaleaf Chief compliance officer James Shores spoke about their commitment to serve the community since expanding into the adult use market we've created more than 500 new jobs and for New Jersey residents moreover we're especially proud that 42 percent of the jobs filled in 2022 and 38 percent of the jobs of the jobs filled so far this year have gone to those who represent diverse ethnic groups cure relief calling the CRC his decision arbitrary as it is lacking in merits and legal bases the company also saying it will adversely impact our employees nearly 500 New Jersey residents and cure relief team members as much as it will harm the broader New Jersey cannabis Market members of the CRC say they know the Cannabis industry has its challenges but they're proud of the progress that's been made so far for instance we've worked with the public to develop rules for every class of licensure for cannabis businesses we have tripled the number of medical dispensaries that are open to patients and approved more than 50 new adult use businesses and of course we saw the first ever legal recreational Canada sales take place but Senator Vin Coppell doesn't feel the CRC is as transparent as it should be I've got applicants in my district who have been waiting for months all of their approvals are done they can't get on a list to get her he plans on introducing legislation that would take control of the state's Canada this industry from the CRC placing it instead in either the department of health or Department of Treasury their legislature would have more oversight they had to come before the budget committee if they come before the legislature we can look at their budgets we can talk to them we can engage with them uh and I think that it would cut a layer of bureaucracy out right now there's there's a big layer of bureaucracy um you know this this is nothing to do with with politics this has to do with making sure that there is transparency around how these applications are being done it's not clear right now how the crc's denial of Curaleaf's annual license will impact sales but the company says it will continue working with the commission to get approval by any legal means necessary for NJ Spotlight news I'm Melissa Rose Cooper [Music] [Music]