TRENTON — Eighteen months after Gov. Chris Christie signed a law allowing children to consume marijuana-infused edible products, the state Health Department has released long-awaited standards for the medical marijuana growers who will manufacture the oils, syrups and lozenges.

The guidelines do not describe how the products should be made, but are the first step in an approval process likely to take months before anything is available for purchase. The guidelines require the dispensary to appoint a manufacturing supervisor to oversee the production, inventory, packaging and the quality control procedures, according to the 12-page health department document.

The standards prohibit the package from using any visuals that would appeal to children, any government insignias, or any labels associated with commercially-available snacks, baked goods or beverages.

The release of the guidelines sent to dispensary owners last week thrilled David Knowlton, founder of Compassionate Care Foundation Alternative Treatment Center in Egg Harbor, who said 20 of the dispensary’s 963 patients are minors. [Read more at NJ.com]