In a move that comports with New Jersey’s recent legalization and decriminalization of marijuana, the state’s Attorney General directed law enforcement agencies to stop arrests for minor marijuana offenses and for prosecutors to immediately dismiss all such pending criminal charges. The policy change comes at a time when New Jersey is preparing a framework for the regulation of the legal cannabis industry.
When the Board of Medical Examiners last month suspended the license of Dr. Anthony Anzalone, arguably the busiest marijuana-authorizing physician in New Jersey, it sent reverberations far and wide.
His patients believe he's a savior. His attorney calls him a "pioneer." But the state Attorney General's Office contends Anzalone "exploited his patients and the medical marijuana program" to "create a multmillion dollar enterprise."
And New Jersey's top cop wants to hear from you on this subject.
Later this month, the state Attorney General's Office will host four public hearings seeking input as to whether marijuana should remain a "schedule 1" drug, meaning it has a high potential for abuse and no accepted medicinal value.