Home cannabis cultivation is illegal throughout Bergen County and all of New Jersey. The Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act (CREAMMA) prohibits personal grow operations, even for adults 21 and over.
Despite legalizing recreational cannabis in 2021 under CREAMMA (N.J.S.A. 24:6I-31 et seq.), New Jersey did not authorize home cultivation. Growing even one plant remains a criminal offense across Bergen County. Adults 21+ may legally possess up to six ounces of cannabis purchased from licensed dispensaries but cannot grow their own. Penalties scale with plant count: under five plants is a fourth-degree crime; five or more plants is third-degree. Medical cannabis patients also cannot home-grow under current law, though advocacy efforts continue. Bergen County police enforce CREAMMA alongside municipal departments. Federal law also remains unchanged.
Growing fewer than five plants: up to 18 months prison, $10,000 fine. Five or more plants: up to five years, $25,000 fine.
See how Ridgewood's home cultivation rules stack up against other locations.
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