EXCLUSIVE – NJ-CRC Commissioner Harris Laufer: ‘Our Goal Is To Get New Jersey Cannabis Businesses To Market’

At the IgniteIt Cannabis Market Spotlight in New Jersey, Harris Laufer, a Commissioner at the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ-CRC), offered a straightforward message to operators and investors watching the state’s adult-use market mature: the regulator’s job is not only oversight, but helping the industry succeed.

“The CRC is the Cannabis Regulatory Commission,” Laufer said. “It is our job to be the principal regulators for the cannabis industry in the state of New Jersey.”

But Laufer emphasized that the agency’s view of its role extends beyond enforcement and rules.

“Aside from regulating the industry, I think our goal is to make sure that the industry flourishes,” he said, pointing to the state’s early bet on legalization and the need to sustain momentum. “Our goal here is to make sure that that industry not only sustains but thrives.”

Licensing: “You don’t start something and it becomes perfect”

Asked about licensing friction and the “adjustment period” that comes with rapid market buildout, Laufer framed the current moment as a process improvement phase, not a fixed reality.

“Obviously, you don’t start something and it becomes perfect,” he said. “So our goal is to take the existing process, improve upon it, and make sure that the people who are having issues with achieving and getting their license are being heard out by staff.”

He described an internal posture aimed at clearing pathways, not closing doors.

“Our goal is to get to ‘yes’ and to get to license so people can hit the market,” Laufer said, adding that the state is already seeing signs of a marketplace “starting to flourish.”

Advice to operators: relationships and reach still matter

When asked what operators can do to improve their chances of success, Laufer pointed to collaboration, distribution, and visibility.

“I think this industry is all about working together,” he said. “It’s all about getting product and getting everything in front of as many people as possible.”

He also gave a nod to the value of live industry convenings.

“Conferences like this where you can network and find and build relationships… is really amazing for the industry.”

Interstate commerce: “I can’t really comment on that”

On the topic of state-to-state frameworks and potential interstate commerce, Laufer was careful to draw a line around federal jurisdiction.

“Interstate commerce is federal, so I can’t really comment on that,” he said. He added that he would “obviously like to see cannabis decriminalized,” but reiterated he could not address feasibility from his seat.

The “biggest misconception”: the CRC as a blocker

One of the most pointed moments of the interview came when Laufer addressed how the industry often perceives regulators.

“I think the biggest misconception is that we’re an impediment to doing business,” he said.

He countered with what he described as the Commission’s core intention: orderly growth that rewards compliant operators.

“Our real goal is to make sure people are doing business fairly, equitably, and correctly,” Laufer said. “Our job is to lift up the good actors in the industry.”

He also acknowledged a communications gap: “We can do better in sharing that message.”

Equity in practice: expungement clinics and certification

Equity came up as a closing theme, and Laufer pushed back on performative messaging.

New Jersey, he said, has invested resources inside the Commission to support social justice work and translate priorities into programs.

“We’ve devoted an entire staff, an entire… division or department of the cannabis commission,” he said, describing efforts tied to the “social justice” side of the business, including expungement clinics.

Laufer also cited certification efforts for underrepresented ownership categories, including women-owned, veteran-owned, and minority-owned businesses.

“We’re making sure that people who were affected by the war on drugs are not viewed as enemies of the industry, but people that are a meaningful part of the industry,” he said.

His bottom line: “Not just using equity as a buzzword, but actually walking the walk and talking the talk.”