Public question No. 1 on the general election ballot would amend the New Jersey State Constitution to legalize the possession and use of marijuana for adults 21 years or older. If it passes, the state would oversee a cannabis industry in which adults could purchase legal weed at specifically licensed dispensaries.
Marijuana purchases would be taxed at the state sales tax rate, currently 6.625%, and likely with an additional 2% tax levied by municipalities where the purchase occurs.
Eleven states have already legalized marijuana, nine — Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon and Washington — through ballot questions.
The full text of the New Jersey ballot question is:
Do you approve amending the Constitution to legalize a controlled form of marijuana called “cannabis”?
Only adults at least 21 years of age could use cannabis. The State commission created to oversee the State’s medical cannabis program would also oversee the new, personal use cannabis market.
Cannabis products would be subject to the State sales tax. If authorized by the Legislature, a municipality may pass a local ordinance to charge a local tax on cannabis products.