A nonprofit marijuana policy group is distributing a survey to hundreds of New Jersey mayors in an effort to identify local concerns and challenges of regulating cannabis sales as the state works to implement legalization.
The Cannabis Advisory Group (CAG) announced the questionnaire on Wednesday, just two days before a voter-approved referendum to legalize marijuana for adult use is set to become enacted as a constitutional amendment.
The New Jersey State League of Municipalities is helping to facilitate the surveys, which contain 27 questions and have been emailed to all 565 mayors in the state. They touch on issues such as cannabis business licensing allocation and penalties for unsanctioned marijuana consumption in public spaces.
“It’s an exciting new landscape in New Jersey, but marijuana legalization also poses a lot of unknowns, particularly on the local level,” said CAG Founding Director Jacqueline Ferraro said in a press release. “To help ensure the industry’s success, we felt it was important to gather a comprehensive understanding of the concerns, questions and predispositions of our municipalities.”
There are particular “unknowns” when it comes to the state’s future recreational marijuana market, as legislators have only recently approved implementation legislation following the November vote to legalize. The bill is currently sitting on Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D) desk, but its signing has been delayed due to the governor’s concerns about a separate reform bill to decriminalize cannabis possession.