Ami Kachalia

In Trenton Wednesday, advocates demanded justice for those hit hardest by the war on drugs. As the state’s recreational cannabis industry takes off, advocates of drug policy reform are reminding lawmakers of the promises made to reinvest tax revenue from legalized sales of recreational marijuana in communities where marijuana-related arrests have been highest.

Expungement clinics. School buses. Wheelchair ramps. Cannabis community centers. Training for rookie entrepreneurs. Grants and no-interest loans.

The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission heard all sorts of ideas Wednesday night from 15 people during an hourlong virtual public hearing held to solicit input for how the state should spend tax revenue from the new recreational marijuana market when sales eventually begin.

The commission also heard plenty of ideas on how they should not spend the money.

“I think that the information that we heard was very positive,” said Shaya Brodchandel, president of the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association. “Providing access and the equity part of it was all on point for us.”

Brodchandel is also CEO of Harmony Foundation of New Jersey, a medical marijuana dispensary in Seacaucus. With the new rules in place, he will be able to expand into the adult recreational marketplace. However, he will still need to maintain inventory for the patients his company serves with its medical license.

Ami Kachalia, a campaign strategist with the ACLU of New Jersey, suggested the commission establish a social equity applicant license status. That would prioritize people who have lived in cities and towns most hurt by marijuana prohibition, have been arrested themselves for marijuana or are in the immediate family of someone who was to become owners in the cannabis industry.

She also said the commission should set aside grants for those people as well as minorities.

The following statement can be attributed to ACLU-NJ Campaign Strategist, Ami Kachalia, on behalf of New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform (NJUMR):

“Today, New Jerseyans voted overwhelmingly to legalize cannabis for adult use. This is a vital first step for shifting away from punitive cannabis prohibition and toward a regulated market that prioritizes racial and social justice.

In response to the Sept. 24 article “NJ marijuana legalization could wipe weed arrests off your criminal record, racial and social justice advocates around New Jersey, including those in the New Solutions Marijuana Reform Coalition, have been calling for marijuana legalization legislation in New Jersey to include automatic and retroactive expungement.