Recreational pot sales begin this week in New Jersey and I really oughta be more excited about it. After all, I’ve spent my adult life working to reform NJ’s backwards marijuana laws and here we are, on the precipice of what everyone else is calling a huge milestone.
Only we didn’t actually legalize weed in the Garden State, rather we legalized *dispensary* weed from a very limited number of politically-connected pot shops, many helmed by rich out-of-state owners who’ll be laughing to the bank while the rest of us pay up to $600 for an ounce of mediocre weed. That’s roughly roughly $75 for an eighth.
Meanwhile, growing your own is still very illegal in New Jersey where a single pot plant could mean 5 years in jail.
So forgive me if I’m not feeling like a victory lap right.
Here’s why NJ’s version of marijuana legalization is a total buzzkill.