A bill legalizing marijuana for recreational use won committee approval by wide margins in both houses of New Jersey's legislature this week. The bill, S2703 in the state Senate and A4497 in the state Assembly, would allow adults 21 or older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana, create a system to license and regulate commercial suppliers, and impose a special 12 percent sales tax on cannabis.
Unlike all but one of the 10 states that have legalized recreational use (Washington), the New Jersey bill would not allow home cultivation. New Jersey is also unusual in addressing the lingering collateral consequences of marijuana convictions at the same time that it legalizes the drug. So far California is the only state that has done that.
"A marijuana arrest in New Jersey can have a debilitating impact on a person's future, including consequences for one's job prospects, housing access, financial health, familial integrity, immigration status, and educational opportunities," the introduction to S2703 notes. To alleviate that problem, the bill would expedite record expungement for people convicted of marijuana offenses.