Trailblazing states like Colorado and Washington learned on the fly about the regulation of the marijuana industry. The message from one policy expert to New Jersey: learn from their missteps and learn now.
John Carnevale, who worked on policy at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy under three administrations, mapped out the necessary regulative landscape for what appears to be an inevitable industry in New Jersey. And setting it up is no mean task, especially given the lack of research on marijuana and public health and safety issues.
“Science is lagging policy,” Carnevale said at a marijuana symposium in Atlantic City hosted by Law Enforcement Against Drugs. “There’s a tremendous research gap. A lot of states have passed laws without any scientific information to support their decisions.”
One recommendation: don’t allow "home grow."
"You're trying to create an industry but you're undermining it by allowing people to grow this stuff at home," Carnevale said. To see a video on how the legal marijuana market is taking shape, scroll above.
It also creates issues with enforcement. Getting a conviction against someone who has more plants than the law allows is virtually impossible, said Chris Haldor, a Colorado attorney and former prosecutor who served as the state’s point man on marijuana impaired driving.