New Jersey towns that proactively passed local bans on selling marijuana will have to do so again if the bill up for a vote Monday becomes law.
The 175-page bill, dubbed the “New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory and Expungement Aid Modernization Act” would allow possession of small amounts of cannabis by adults over 21 and clear the records of those with marijuana-related convictions. It also would lay the framework for regulating and taxing a new billion-dollar industry.
Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, made legalization a major campaign promise and has supported the measure.
If the bill passes, and Murphy signs it, sales of legal weed could begin around January of next year, after regulators create rules around licenses, permits, inspections, enforcement, labeling and other aspects of the new industry.
And that legal framework includes the ability for towns to opt out.