BERNARDSVILLE, N.J. – The New Jersey Cannabis Equity Association (“NJCEA”), a
New Jersey nonprofit corporation committed to advancing equity in the Garden
State’s cannabis industry, has launched.
The NJCEA’s mission is to assess issues impacting the cannabis industry through the
lens of equity, to build consensus among critical stakeholders, and to advance
related public policy.
The NJCEA is an inclusive organization open to any individual or entity that is aligned
with its critical mission to promote equitable practices and policies in the
New Jersey cannabis space.
Interested parties are invited to join as Board-level Members (dues $5,000 annually) or Caucus-level Members (dues $2,500 annually), and
a tiered fee structure incentivizes participation from businesses of all sizes
and at all stages of development. In the coming weeks, the NJCEA will formalize
its first cohort of members, and it will hold its first expanded board meeting
in July. At that time, it anticipates a diverse board with trustees that
include representatives from consulting groups, marketing agencies, cannabis
industry operators, law firms, financial institutions, ancillary cannabis
brands, and advocacy organizations, among others.
Sponsors from various sectors are critical to NJCEA’s success and provide support for
various equity initiatives and programming as well as networking opportunities.
In developing its policy positions, the NJCEA lists six stakeholder groups that it
considers, including communities that have been disproportionately impacted by
the War on Drugs, medical cannabis patients, and the cannabis industry
workforce, to name a few.
NJCEA Co-founders and Co-chairs Suzan Nickelson and Susanna Puntel Short have a track
record of advocacy and justice-oriented leadership with a firm footing in New
Jersey’s cannabis industry.
Nickelson worked for 24 years as an employee of the State of New Jersey before heading up
the first operational Minority Woman Business Enterprise (M/WBE) medical and
adult use cannabis dispensary in the state, Holistic Solutions in Atco. Short
leads a WBE consultancy and assists clients at the intersection of cannabis
public policy and business strategy. She is a specialty coach for the NJEDA’s
joint equity grant technical assistance program. Both women have collaborated
with and held leadership roles in cannabis trade associations in the state and
in D.C. They assert that the NJCEA’s mission is complementary to other
associations and not competitive.
“Equity is at the heart of what our public policies seek to achieve through cannabis
legalization,” the NJCEA co-founders state. “But it requires a singular focus
and ongoing collaboration to make those policy goals actionable and
sustainable. The NJCEA is a beacon that guides our policymakers to advance
equity.”
NJCEA has selected a New Jersey certified Minority Business Enterprise to provide its
government affairs representation, and it has selected a New Jersey certified
Women Business Enterprise as its Legal Counsel.
