Legal marijuana is so close in New Jersey you can almost smell it. But does soon-to-be-filed legislation do enough to ensure social equity under a legal cannabis system?
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D) isn’t so sure. And he’s calling on fellow mayors to join him in pressing for stronger social justice protections such as the expungement of records for marijuana offenses and permitting those with cannabis-related convictions to obtain business licenses to participate in the legal industry.
In a letter to the NJ Urban Mayors’ Association, Baraka said “there remain serious issues of social justice and equity; municipal self-determination and finances that are not adequately addressed in the pending legislation.”