Yes. There is an adult-use cannabis dispensary in the City of Paterson. The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Enforcement Assistance and Modernization Act legalized recreational marijuana use and sales across all New Jersey municipalities.
Yes. Persons looking to buy cannabis for medical marijuana use can purchase medical cannabis items at the only medical cannabis dispensary in the city. New Jersey's Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act (CUMMA) legalized medical cannabis use and the establishment of cannabis businesses selling medical cannabis to authorized persons in Paterson and the rest of New Jersey.
Yes. Paterson residents may order cannabis online and have their purchases delivered to their homes.
Paterson weed dispensaries are open to both locals and tourists. These facilities sell medical and recreational cannabis to authorized persons only. To purchase cannabis legally from a Paterson weed dispensary, you must be 21 or older (if buying adult-use cannabis) or have a medical marijuana card (if buying as an authorized medical marijuana patient). If you are unable to provide any of these IDs, you will not be allowed to enter a cannabis dispensary.
Paterson dispensaries accept only cash, so bring some if you intend to purchase. You may also withdraw cash from an ATM in the dispensary in order to pay for your purchases. Dispensary staff, known as budtenders or care professionals, typically provide customers assistance and advice while they browse the available products and make their purchases. Dispensaries are allowed to sell only the legal quotas set forth by the state of New Jersey. Cannabis use is also prohibited on dispensary premises.
The following are dispensary laws in Paterson:
Cannabis dispensaries may be established in the city upon obtaining the applicable licenses and permits
Cannabis consumption in a marijuana dispensing facility is illegal except in facilities issued licenses to establish indoor cannabis consumption areas
Dispensaries must verify the identities of buyers before selling them cannabis. Adult-use cannabis may only be sold to persons aged 21 or older, while only persons holding medical marijuana cards may be allowed to buy medical cannabis
Dispensaries may not sell more than the specified possession limits under state law
Cannabis sales to minors are not permitted
The possession, sale, and use of cannabis for recreational reasons are legal in Paterson as of the passage of the New Paterson Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization (CREAMM) Act. Residents of Paterson who are 21 or older are allowed to possess cannabis within the legal possession restrictions. However, home growing is not authorized.
Although it is legal to own and consume cannabis in Paterson, it is against the law for residents to drive under the influence of cannabis or cannabis products. Only alternative treatment centers and dispensaries granted New Jersey CRC licenses may sell cannabis in Paterson. Consumption of cannabis on federal properties and the transportation of cannabis over state lines is illegal.
Adults over the age of 21 in Paterson can legally possess and share up to an ounce of marijuana with each other. However, money or other forms of remuneration are not permitted in such transfers. If safety or operational processes are compromised, employers in Paterson may also require drug testing of employees and implement cannabis use restrictions.
Medical marijuana is legal in Paterson and the rest of New Paterson according to the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act (CUMMA), which was approved in 2010. In 2019, lawmakers approved Bill A20, which updated the CUMMA by permitting the delivery of medical cannabis to patients’ homes and expanding the amount of cannabis a patient may legally possess.
Patients with qualifying medical conditions who are at least 18 years old can now register with the state's medicinal marijuana patient registry, according to the new medical cannabis law. Those under 18 who have approved medical conditions for which medical marijuana is permitted can also access medical cannabis by designating adult caregivers to assist in purchasing or administering medical cannabis. Under the New Paterson Medical Marijuana Program, patients and their caregivers are allowed to have up to three ounces of marijuana in their possession at any given time. Despite the possession limits imposed on medical cannabis and medical cannabis products, there is no set limit on monthly cannabis purchases for terminally ill patients. With the passage of S2842 in 2013, minors in Paterson can now legally consume medical marijuana in edible form.
Note that medical cannabis use is restricted to private residences. Caregivers and patients are prohibited from cultivating cannabis.
To obtain a medical marijuana card in the City of Paterson, you must enroll in the New Jersey medical marijuana patient registry administered by the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH). The NJDOH requires individuals to fulfill the following conditions in order to be eligible for enrolment in the patient registry:
Live in Paterson or another New Jersey location
Maintain a bona fide relationship with a physician registered with the New Jersey medical cannabis program. To find out if your physician is registered with the New Jersey MCP or use the find a participating healthcare practitioner tool on the medical cannabis program website
Have any of the following medical conditions:
Anxiety
Seizure disorder, including epilepsy
Cancer
Terminal illnesses with a prognosis of less than one year to live
Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease
Intractable skeletal muscular spasticity
Tourette Syndrome
AIDS
Glaucoma
Muscular dystrophy
Positive status for HIV
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Chronic pain
PTSD
Opioid Use Disorder
Dysmenorrhea
Multiple sclerosis
Migraine
If you meet the requirements for a medical marijuana card, the next step is to make an appointment with a doctor qualified to issue an Authorizing Provider Statement. On the statement, you will find a registry ID and reference ID number required to complete your application for a medical marijuana card. Once you have the necessary IDs, you may visit the New Jersey MCP registry to submit your information and pay the application fee. To complete the application, the following will be required:
A recent photograph on a plain, white background
Proof of Paterson or New Jersey residency, such as a current New Jersey ID card containing your current physical address. Alternatively, you may provide two of the following:
Bank statements for the last three months with your name and address
A utility bill from the previous three months
A Social Security Administration documentation, property tax bill, jury summons, or other federal, state, or local government correspondence with your name and address issued in the past three months
An official deed
The past three consecutive pay stubs
A W-2 1099 Statement, an IRS correspondence, or the New Jersey Division of Taxation documentation from the past year with your name and address
Proof of government assistance, if applicable
Payment of the $50 application fee
Your card will arrive in the mail within 21 days after your application has been approved. For more details on getting a medical marijuana card in Paterson, visit the Patient Accounts page of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission website.
Cannabis consumption is legal on private properties in Paterson. However, Paterson property owners may restrict cannabis consumption on their properties. Hence, renters must obtain permission from their landlords before using weed in rented units. Cannabis use in banks, schools, streets, and other places where people gather is unlawful.
You can buy cannabis in the City of Paterson by ordering online or visiting the physical address of the only weed dispensary authorized to sell weed in the city. If you want to purchase recreational marijuana, you must have an ID to prove that you are 21 or older. If you are buying medical cannabis, a medical marijuana card issued by the New Jersey Department of Health in your name will be required.
A 100 mg of cannabis edible sells for about $30, 1 gram of pre-rolls costs about $17, and 3.5 grams of premium cannabis flower sells for between $40 and $60.
Paterson residents buy a lot of Purple Punch, OG Kush, Jack Herer, Sour Banana Sherbet, and Robot Girl strains.
No. Cannabis smoking in public is illegal.
A Paterson resident aged 21 or older may possess up to:
1 ounce of dried flower
4 grams of solid, concentrated cannabis or the equivalent of 4 grams of cannabis concentrate in liquid form
4 grams of cannabis in vaporized formulations (oil)
1000 milligrams of ingestible cannabis-infused products, such as gummies
Registered Paterson medical marijuana patients can possess up to 85 grams of cannabis every month. Patients with terminal conditions or receiving hospice treatments have no monthly cannabis possession limits.
No. It is illegal to ship cannabis across state lines in Paterson. Although Paterson and New Jersey consider cannabis legal for recreational and medical purposes, federal law lists cannabis as a Schedule I banned drug. Therefore, moving cannabis even between two states where the substance is legal constitutes a federal offense.
You can order cannabis online in Paterson. The only marijuana dispensary operating in the city offers online order services to cannabis buyers. To order cannabis online, start by finding a nearby dispensary. To find a nearby dispensary, use the search term “weed dispensaries near me” on an online search engine.
No. There are currently no 24-hour dispensaries in the city.
Tourists may use adult-use cannabis dispensaries in the city if they have government-issued IDs supporting their age (21) claims. The city allows cannabis to be sold by authorized dispensaries to any person with proof of legal age. However, you must have an NJDOH-issued medical marijuana card before you may buy medical cannabis in the city.
Dispensary employees require visitors to their facilities to have valid identification cards to verify that they are at least 21 years old. You need an ID to prove that you are of legal age to consume cannabis in the city. You also need a medical marijuana card if you plan to buy medical cannabis in Paterson.
Rise dispensary is the only cannabis dispensary located within Paterson. The dispensary sells both medical and recreational marijuana.
Yes. Your ID will be scanned when entering a Paterson dispensary to ensure you are an approved cannabis buyer in New Jersey.
There is only one marijuana dispensary in the City of Paterson.
No. Persons buying from the only cannabis dispensary in the city must have cash. Sometimes, the dispensary may accept debit cards.
You can only visit one dispensary in the City of Paterson, as only one cannabis establishment is authorized to sell cannabis to buyers in the city. However, when more dispensaries open in the city, you can visit multiple cannabis retail outlets in one day.
No. You cannot use your health insurance to cover marijuana transactions in the City of Paterson.
Yes. New Jersey law requires all cannabis dispensaries in the state to track cannabis sales in their facilities.
No. Per New Jersey law, individuals buying adult-use cannabis must be 21 or older to enter cannabis dispensaries. Medical weed buyers must be at least 18 or have their approved caregivers buy cannabis on their behalf if they are under 18.
The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) regulates cannabis operations in the City of Paterson. You can find the CRC’s contact information on its website.
To report illegal cannabis operations in Paterson, you may contact the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission or the Paterson Police Department.