Legislative leaders finally announced they had agreed on a proposed plan on December 4th in a joint statement from Governor Phil Murphy, Senate President Steve Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Nicholas Scutari, and Assembly Majority Conference Chair Annette Quijano: “We’ve reached an agreement on legislation providing the framework for legalization, which is a critical step in reducing racial disparities and social inequities that have long plagued our criminal justice system.
It’s a fair bet that in New Jersey, when Democrats in power start talking about “diversity,” they’re simultaneously sticking it to minorities. In this case, marijuana legalization provided the forum in which to do damage as those same individuals used as part of a pre-Election Day human barricade in the name of social justice found themselves summarily scrapped post Election Day as that apparently unnecessary ingredient in legislative leadership’s pro-business bonanza.
Is weed decriminalized in NJ? More to come
For over one month, legislators and activists have sparred — often within their own groups — over what comes next for legal weed.
The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act would essentially set the rules and framework for regulations for a legal cannabis industry.
A bill legalizing marijuana in New Jersey could soon be puff, puff, passed after the state legislature and Gov. Phil Murphy came to an agreement late Friday.
The governor announced a deal had been reached on Twitter, saying that a framework for the legalization was in place. He went on to say that making marijuana legal in the state is a "critical step in reducing racial disparities and social inequities that have long plagues our criminal justice system."
As of this week, the governor is off by 1,050 days give or take and still counting while the Senate and Assembly — both controlled by his party — are at a stalemate over legislation to regulate and police the marijuana marketplace.
This past November, some 60 percent of New Jersey voters approved a Constitutional amendment to fulfill candidate Murphy’s campaign promise but left it to the Legislature to work out the details.
The ‘war on drugs’ has just taken a wicked left turn. On Friday, November 20, 2020, one of marijuana’s staunchest supporters, Ed “NJWeedman” Forchion held an online press conference at his NJWeedman’s Joint location, contesting New Jersey’s recent legalization of cannabis. Forchion announced his federal lawsuit against New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, accusing the state of baiting New Jersey citizens into voting for the legalization of a corporate, Caucasian run cannabis industry, under the guise of legalizing marijuana.
The New Jersey Senate on Monday approved a marijuana decriminalization bill as lawmakers continue to discuss broader enabling legislation to legalize cannabis following voter approval of the issue on Election Day.
Members of the Assembly were also scheduled to take up the decriminalization proposal—which would eliminate criminal and civil penalties for marijuana possession of up to six ounces. But that action was postponed, in part over disagreements about an amendment added in committee last week that would lower penalties for possession of psilocybin mushrooms.
A week after New Jerseyans voted to legalize cannabis, Gov. Phil Murphy and state lawmakers are at odds over legislation that would allow the state to become the only adult use market between Washington, D.C., and Massachusetts.
New Jersey voters resoundingly approved a ballot proposal to legalize recreational marijuana in the Garden State.
Nearly 67 percent of voters said yes to Public Question 1 which would amend New Jersey’s constitution to legalize marijuana use, possession, cultivation, processing and distribution for adults 21 and older. Following the successful vote, the constitutional amendment will go into effect January 1, 2021, though this could happen sooner if legislation is passed before that time.
A haze hung over New Jersey's recreational marijuana legalization effort on Thursday as negotiations over taxes delayed required legislation.
Democrat-led Assembly and Senate committees had planned to consider legislation setting up the recreational marijuana market, just over a week after voters overwhelmingly approved recreational marijuana on the ballot.