Contributed
Cannabis has been legal for medical use in New Jersey since January of 2010, when outgoing governor Jon Corzine signed into a law a bill that made marijuana legal for patients suffering from certain medical conditions (these included cancer, glaucoma and Lou Gherig’s disease). More recently there have been many proposals to decriminalize marijuana for recreational purposes, and there seems to be growing momentum toward this end.
Newly elected governor Phil Murphy, who replaced Chris Christie, is an avowed supporter of legal marijuana, and has vowed to sign a legalization bill because he believes it will raise at least $1.3 billion in tax revenues for the state.
In fact, Murphy vowed to legalize recreational marijuana within the first 100 days of his tenure. He is currently on day 293, but that doesn’t mean he won’t keep his word. The latest version of The New Jersey Marijuana Act (S-2703) has a good chance of passing the senate.
So what would legalized marijuana in New Jersey look like? A few of the highlights of the bill include the following:
At the most basic level, the bill would legalize the possession and personal use of small amounts of marijuana for people who are 21 years old or older. It also create a regulatory and tax structure to oversee the commercial marijuana industry within the state. Interestingly, the tax rate in the current plan is only 10%, making it one of the lowest in the nation (Murphy reportedly wants the tax rate to be 25%).
The bill would also allow for the creation of what are essentially pot café, as the bill would allow for consumption to be legal at businesses with a marijuana retail license. In other words, dispensaries would be able to sell you legal marijuana and also offer you a space in which to light up with a vape pen or a beaker bong (or whatever method you choose to consume with).
Another unique provision to the proposed bill is that it would allow for delivery. Businesses with the proper licensing would be granted permission to deliver the goods to the customer. So you could order a pizza, a movie and an 1/8th of sour diesel and be all set for the night.
There are some details that the bill leaves out, such as how many dispensaries the state would allow and what bodies will oversee all of the regulations, but the bill does seem to suggest that preferential treatment in terms of dispensary locations might be given to areas hardest hit by unemployment.
As to the current status of the bill: The bill was sent to Governor Murphy’s office in September. The lawmakers who introduced the bill expect the governor to have some minor changes, and then the bill will be sent to the legislature, where it will be put to a vote. Those who are leading the charge believe that the bill could pass before year end, which would make for a pretty interesting new year’s eve in the Garden State.
