New Jersey plans to legalize marijuana: when will it happen

Whether New Jersey will be the next state to legalize marijuana will be revealed on US presidential election day, November 3. The edition writes about it Salon.

It looks like New Jersey will be the next state in America to legalize marijuana. This should happen on November 3, 2020, concurrently with the presidential elections in America.

The states of Arizona, Montana and South Dakota also want to legalize marijuana, but New Jersey should be ahead of them by several hours.

The state of New Jersey intends to legalize the recreational use of marijuana and the cultivation, processing and retailing of marijuana by persons over the age of 21, says in official documents.

The Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC), which currently deals with medical cannabis, will regulate the legal marijuana trade.

Retail sales of marijuana will be subject to a state sales tax of 6,625%. The initiative also allows local governments to add a 2 percent local sales tax. Any other sales taxes will be prohibited.

All other matters will be at the discretion of the legislature and the CRC. These include questions about whether it will be allowed to grow grass at home, and if so, how, in what quantities per person, and detailed retail regulations.

If this measure is passed, New Jersey will be not only the first state to legalize marijuana on election day, but also the first Mid Atlantic state to do so and the first to legalize marijuana through a legislated voter referendum.

Of the 11 states (and the District of Columbia) that have legalized marijuana to date, nine have done so through citizen voting initiatives, while two other states, Illinois and Vermont, have legislated marijuana legalization bills.

Governor Phil Murphy pledged in 2017 to sign legislation to regulate the use of cannabis for adults within the first 100 days of his tenure. However, he failed to implement his plans for many reasons that prevented this.

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The governor's supporters needed 21 votes to pass the ambitious law. The vote was preceded by almost a week of negotiations between supporters and opponents of legalization, which, as it turned out at the last moment, did not lead to a consensus - the number of opponents did not allow Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney to put the issue to a vote.

So Sweeney and Senator Nick Scutari filed a resolution giving voters the final decision. In December 2019, it was passed with the support of an overwhelming majority of Democrats and a strong Republican opposition.

Polls consistently show the victory of the law in November. An April poll of registered voters by Monmouth University showed that this figure had 64% of the vote, while a July poll by law firm Brach Eichler showed that 67,6% of likely voters expressed strong support for legalization through voting. Brach Eichler's poll in August received support at 66%, suggesting a subtle decline, although the numbers are still high.

In the most recent poll, too, an overwhelming majority (74%) were in favor of the state providing “minorities with fair and equal access to these business opportunities,” while another large majority (71%) wanted tax revenues to be used to inform drugs and drug education. More than half (55%) favored higher taxes on marijuana.

“Brach Eichler's cannabis poll shows that as the November elections approach, public awareness and support for legalizing cannabis consumption among adults has grown steadily,” said Brach Eichler spokesman John D. Fanburg. “In addition, we are seeing voters recognize the importance of addressing the social justice impact of disproportionate enforcement and arrests against the New Jersey minority.”

For Ken Wolski, executive director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana — New Jersey (CMM-NJ), supporting the initiative is nonsense. Wolsky and CMM-NJ are part of the broader NJ CAN 2020 coalition. The latter is working with HeadCount's Cannabis Voter Project to end the state's marijuana ban. Other members of the coalition include ACLU-New Jersey, Doctors for Cannabis Regulation, the Latino Action Network, the Law Enforcement Action Partnership, NAACP New Jersey State Conference, and New Jersey CannaBusiness Association.

“Legalizing marijuana is the best way for most people to get the medicine they want,” Wolsky said. “Legalization will allow adults to harness the enormous therapeutic potential of marijuana. Adults no longer need a specific diagnosis and multiple visits to doctors to get it. Adults in New Jersey will be able to buy marijuana over the counter in the same way they buy aspirin now. "

In addition, the legalization of marijuana in the state will lead to lower prices for this product, which today are among the highest in the entire country.

As some proponents of marijuana reform oppose the amendment, Wolsky reassured them: “The CRC will hold public hearings before they draft the regulation, then there will be a public comment period before they adopt the regulation. This will be the time to publicize opinions on housing, social equity and more. The whole process will be transparent. If some of our requirements are not met in the first round, we can immediately apply for a regulation amendment. The very first step is all-round support for the electoral issue, without which the reform of marijuana laws in New Jersey is impossible in the foreseeable future. ”

Talking about growing marijuana at home, Wolsky said: “We await arguments in civil and criminal courts that the amendment essentially allows for growing marijuana at home. We plan to work with CRC to develop regulations to ensure that home cultivation is part of the legalization of cannabis in New Jersey. In the meantime, we will continue to work with legislators on legislation that specifically allows patients in the New Jersey medical marijuana growing program and carers to grow limited quantities of cannabis for their medical needs. ”

But first, this measure must be won. “The first step is a victory in November, which we can win. We call on New Jersey residents to join us and vote, ”Wolsky said.