The bills were introduced after 2.7 million New Jerseyans, over two-thirds of voters, supported a constitutional amendment, via ballot question, to legalize weed during the 2020 elections.
The pair of bills now head to Gov. Phil Murphy's desk, where he is expected to sign them into law. The ballot question takes effect Jan. 1.
"We cannot overstate the significance of today’s votes in terms of racial justice and civil rights, or the monumental achievement of establishing one of the most ambitious models for community reinvestment derived from cannabis legalization in the country," said Amol Sinha, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey and chairman of NJ CAN 2020, the campaign to vote "yes" on legalizing marijuana.
"With these pieces of legislation, we will stop arrests and end the collateral consequences that burden so many, and begin to address the pernicious, racist legacy of prohibition – but justice will follow only if we hold lawmakers to their promises of equity and work relentlessly for the pivotal justice measures that were not included."
The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act, which set up taxes and licensing rules, passed the Senate by a 23 to 17 vote and the Assembly by a 49 to 24 vote with six abstentions.