One subway stop from Manhattan, two New Jersey cities stand to score big from recreational marijuana. But they may get scooped on sales as mayors push state lawmakers for more public-safety money and justice for residents with criminal pot records.
Legalization, which New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy wanted in 2018, has been mired in debates over taxation and how to erase existing marijuana-related convictions. Pressure to get a deal done has grown in recent weeks as the governors of New York and Pennsylvania called for legal pot, threatening New Jersey’s bid to be the first New York City-area state to offer sales.
“We would be the economic engine for the state -- there’s no question -- but right now it’s not something I could support,” said Steve Fulop, Jersey City’s mayor and a former Wall Street trader.