Top lawmakers in Trenton, along with Gov. Phil Murphy, need to decide once and for all whether they are in full favor of marijuana legalization — which a vast of majority of New Jerseyans support — and show they are willing to do what it takes to get the package of bills across the finish line.
That sort of urgency was not at all clear after committee hearings Monday, which included delaying tactics, unread amendments and other shenanigans that were beyond the pale even by Trenton standards. Yes, the package of marijuana bills did finally pass out of respective committees, but such public lawmaking “by confusion and chaos” does not help the cause of legalization.
Indeed, it serves only to further the impression that, on this issue at least, no one knows for sure what the heck is going on, or where this thing is headed.
If the Legislature wants to end prohibition against adult-use marijuana, a proposal with which we wholeheartedly agree, provided adequate regulations and protections are in place, provided expungement protocols are thorough and fair, and provided there is proper training available for local police, then they should get on with it, and let the political chips fall where they may.