Previously, she worked as an advisor to Murphy and as an attorney with the New Jersey American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
[8] It was later updated and patient access was expanded when the New Jersey Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act was implemented.
The Honig Act updated and reformed the program, and created the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission.
Prior to the law, the program was run by the Division of Medicinal Marijuana at the New Jersey Department of Health.
[4] The Jake Honig Act also lifted the ceiling on marijuana amounts for terminally ill patients, allowing them unlimited access to the product.
[10] In March 2020, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that people who are medical cannabis patients cannot be fired from their jobs for testing positive for marijuana if their usage is done off-duty.
In April 2022, at the urging of the legislature, the commission held a special meeting to expedite approval of applications, although enough licenses still were not granted.
[12] In January 2022, U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ) criticized the Commission, saying in a press release that he was "outraged to hear that Black-owned businesses have been shut out of the state's cannabis marketplace."
However, "During the course of reporting on this story, one Black female medical cannabis dispensary awardee, Suzan Nickelson of Holistic Solutions, has come forward.
"[6] In 2022, the commission faced a discrimination lawsuit that "alleges fraud in the diversity certifications it uses to score license applicants".