New Jersey marijuana lobbyists more than tripled their spending in 2018, the first year after Gov. Phil Murphy took over for Chris Christie, state election officials say.
Earlier this week, the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) released preliminary data on state-tracked lobbying for 2018. According to the ELEC, businesses and interest groups with stakes in medical marijuana – or that support or oppose legalization of recreational cannabis – ramped up their spending from $330,935 in 2017 to $1,388,076 in 2018... an increase of 319 percent.