Several medical cannabis business licenses will be doled out, putting an end to a two-year process that, without litigation, would have likely taken a handful of months.

“We have to maintain a strong foundation in the medical market and getting the '19 awards issued quickly is our fastest way to do that,” Cannabis Regulatory Commission Chair Dianna Houenou said during her keynote at the NJ Cannabis Insider event in Carteret on Sept. 23.

The 9,546-square-foot outpost is the operator's second location to open this year, after Edgewater Park, and brings it to New Jersey's statewide three dispensary limit.

The classes are one of several industry certificate programs introduced by New Jersey colleges in the last year. The program is intended for anyone interested in seeking employment in the profession or just those curious about it.

Columbia Care now operates in 12 states, with a third New Jersey location expected to debut by the shore in the fourth quarter.

The operator of one of New Jersey's original six medical sites is opening its second outpost in the state, and 107th nationwide, in addition to its second Garden State cultivation facility.

The Lawrence Township shop is the firm's final dispensary in the state after locations in Elizabeth and Neptune opened in the last year.

This is the 18th medical cannabis dispensary in New Jersey serving more than 104,000 patients statewide.