Since 2010, medical cannabis has been legalized in New Jersey but got amended in 2019. As of now, medical cannabis patients are permitted to have 3 ounces of cannabis but are not allowed to grow any cannabis plants. The November 2020 ballot will include the New Jersey Marijuana Legalization Amendment and make it possible for the people of New Jersey to decide on the recreational cannabis issue themselves.
End of April 2020, a survey from Monmouth University revealed that 61% would vote in favor of it, while 34% would vote against it. Those voting for it come from all political spectrums and are convinced that taking the step of legalizing recreational cannabis in New Jersey will boost the state’s economy. 46% of these voters believed it would have no impact on drug crimes.
There were a couple of attempts to pass recreational cannabis in New Jersey in previous years, but these did not go through. Back in December 2019, the New Jersey legislature approved a referendum on the ballot which resembles a resolution, a constitutional amendment to have voters choose marijuana legalization details. Before this resolution, the lawmakers failed to make the reform into law legislatively due to the committees having no consensus over certain provisions of legislation and not having enough votes in the Senate to pass the bill.
The resolution suggests that New Jersey’s cannabis market should be regulated by the Cannabis Regulatory Commission, which has already controlled the state’s medical marijuana program since July 2019. By having the people decide if cannabis should be legalized for recreational purposes for people ages 21 and older via the ballot, huge shifts in public policy are possible, according to Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin.
Apparently, New Jersey is in need of such a drastic shift since 94 people are arrested daily because of marijuana offenses. This is a very high arrest rate compared to other states and every day these arrests ruin the lives of those affected and their families as well as come with very high costs. Since July 2019 Gov. Phil Murphy remains supportive to counteract this by legalizing the expungement process for people with prior cannabis convictions.
A tax rate on cannabis has not been set in stone yet. However, the amount of taxes will most likely depend on the state’s sales tax as well as the local town’s taxes. These details will be clarified by the governor and legislature before the ballot is presented.
In December 2019, Scott Rudder of the NJ CannaBusiness Association expressed his eagerness to spread public awareness of cannabis and prepare the people in New Jersey for its future of facing a $4 billion weed economy. However, this was before the unexpected COVID-19 struck the world and brought so many changes and challenges to all areas of life.
Based on the current survey by the end of 2020, New Jersey will become the 12th state to legalize recreational cannabis. This does not mean that New Jersey won’t face a lot of challenges, but it can be taken as a great example for many other states to continue to push toward recreational cannabis even if the legislative route turns out to be unsuccessful.