Murphy said he’s open to signing both bills, but “the devil will be in the details.”
Sweeney had tied the legalization bill, NJ S2703 (18R), to the two other measures relating to the state’s burgeoning medical marijuana industry and criminal justice reform.
One of the more significant aspects of the bill were its proposals for expedited expungement and reinvestment in communities with disproportionate cannabis arrests rates. Can you further explain how those would work?
The decision to pull New Jersey’s Adult Use Cannabis bill S2703 from the senate floor for a vote was a smart move by NJ Senate President Steve Sweeney. The Senate didn’t have the votes needed to pass the bill and he essentially brought NJ more time to get the necessary support. The problem in NJ is we have two types of people: Flintstones and Jetsons.
On March 25, legislators were set to vote on S-2703, which would legalize the adult use of recreational cannabis. However, after it appeared that there were not enough votes to approve the bill, legislative leaders called off the vote. While no vote took place as intended, Governor Murphy continues to make a push for marijuana legalization. And, reports have the Governor setting a May deadline for a vote on recreational cannabis before he takes executive action to expand medical use.
New Jersey Republicans are united in their opposition to marijuana reform. According to a NJ.com article, (“Here’s how your N.J. lawmaker is leaning on legalizing weed,”) of the 15 Senate Republicans, 14 of them plan to vote “No” on marijuana legalization, with one Undecided. In the Assembly, there is only one Republican who is willing to vote Yes. Why are the Republicans so opposed to marijuana reform?
They came. They saw. They waited. And waited some more.
New Jersey marijuana legalization was the talk of the Statehouse on Monday, with an estimated 100 speakers arriving with the hopes of convincing their legislators about legal weed – one way or the other.
Instead, it was just a game of “hurry up and wait” – over six hours of palm-wringing and thumb-twiddling before the topic was even considered for discussion.
While the recent expansion of cannabis laws will certainly affect society as a whole, the effect that this societal change will have on the workplace presents unique challenges for employers. New Jersey, like the majority of states, has loosened its laws to permit the use of medical cannabis. In addition, many have speculated that the passage of Senate Bill 2703, currently known as the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory and Expungement Aid Modernization Act (“SB 2703”), is imminent, which will legalize adult-use cannabis.
“This bill (2703) does nothing for those victimized by the current prohibition for providing marijuana to the state’s ½ a million potheads for decades because the state enforced a racist prohibition and now is swapping that out for racist legalization,” Forchion said in a statement. “This law NOW EXCLUDES US (US = minorities, current black-marketeers), all of those arrested for distribution or for having more than 50grams aren’t eligible to participate in this new Government industry.”
Should New Jersey legislators pass a recreational marijuana bill under Gov. Phil Murphy's legalization plan, new businesses in the cannabis industry will not be able to open shop in Brick.
Shortly after the governor and legislators announced a deal to legalize recreational marijuana use, the Brick Township Council voted unanimously to prohibit sales, manufacturing, cultivation and testing of recreational cannabis throughout the municipality.
Even if cannabis were somehow legalized, say, tomorrow, it’s gonna be a while before any sales actually happen. Have you seen a whip count? Me neither but say the votes are there and that our legislature passes S2703/A4497, the “New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory and Expungement Aid Modernization Act” and Governor Murphy signs in into law within the next few weeks.
(It might happen, y’all!)
That would mean a lavish bill signing ceremony sometime in March of 2019.