The poll will also include a polling data on a November ballot question to legalize recreational marijuana.
In addition, the Monmouth Poll will include a generic ballot test of candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives, with a focus on the four congressional districts that flipped from Republican to Democratic in the 2018 mid-term elections. These are the seats currently held by Reps. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis), Andy Kim (D-Marlton), Tom Malinowski (D-Ringoes) and Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair).
Cannabis advocates in New Jersey have formed a coalition that will campaign for a “yes” vote in the recreational marijuana legalization ballot later this year.
Garden State voters will decide on the issue of legalization when they go to the polls in November. The new group, NJ CAN 2020, has been set up to educate people on the manifold benefits that a legal adult-use cannabis industry would bring to the state.
Today, talk of legalization knows no bounds. Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania have reportedly flirted with the idea of forming a "bloc" that will legalize adult-use marijuana at the same time and by imposing the same statutory scheme. Activists are pushing measures to put legalization on the ballot in 2020 in Arizona, Arkansas, Montana, and Oklahoma.
States where marijuana legalization will be on the ballot
New Jersey. A constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana is on the ballot. It would legalize the possession, cultivation, processing, transport, and distribution of marijuana under the purview of the already-existing Cannabis Regulatory Commission, with sales subject to the state's sales tax.
When it comes to state legalization – whether it’s medical or adult-use – there is either effort on the legislative front or at the ballot box (or in cases like New Jersey, the battle moves from one arena to the other).
Missourians for a New Approach, the group behind the proposed constitutional amendment, announced it will begin working to collect the 160,199 verified signatures from voters needed to qualify the measure. This comes one month after the secretary of state certified the ballot title and cleared the measure for signature gathering.
Under the initiative, adults 21 and older would be able to possess and purchase cannabis from licensed retailers, and they could cultivate up to three plants for personal use.
New Jersey
As announced in December, residents of the Garden State will be voting on a constitutional amendment come November to legalize recreational marijuana. This ballot initiative was made possible by New Jersey's Senate and its Assembly, voting 24-16 and 49-24, respectively, to allow the state's residents to decide the future of cannabis in the Garden State.
Here's the question that'll be appearing on New Jerseyans ballots:
Marijuana decriminalization
After much debate, lawmakers rallied enough votes to be able to put a question before voters in November 2020: Should the state legalize recreational marijuana? Some lawmakers pushed a bill to decriminalize minor marijuana offenses in the meantime, but it didn't get to a vote.
Here are three factors to keep in mind as states address either recreational or medical legalization this year:
A year ago, marijuana legalization looked like it was on a roll in the Northeast — it had already passed in three of the region’s states and was a priority for governors in three more, including the populous New York.
Now, after legislative efforts stalled and a vaping sickness stirred new concerns, the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut still want to make recreational pot legal. And they and Pennsylvania’s governor have been comparing notes on how to do it.