The Garden State is about to get a little “greener” thanks to the hard work and dedication of scientists, researchers, law enforcement, patients, social justice advocates and business leaders. Legalization of recreational cannabis is right around the corner. But now that we have come this far, we must ensure that we do this right by creating an industry that helps the state economically, addresses social justice, and gives adults healthier choices other than opioids, alcohol and other far more dangerous substances.
The legalization debate is not being conducted in a vacuum. All year long there have been dozens of hearings across the state and according to the most recent Quinnipiac poll, 62 percent of our friends and neighbors support legalization efforts.
The good news for New Jersey, as we go through the legislative and regulatory process of legalizing cannabis, is we don’t have to guess on how best to do it. We have the experience of seven years of a growing medical cannabis program already in New Jersey as well as years of data and statistics from Colorado, Washington and other states that have already successfully gone through their legalization process.
We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We need to make certain when we do this, that we do it in a responsible and sustainable manner which effectively addresses education and public safety issues.