On an unrelated, yet significant, issue that could have an impact on the quality of life, New Jersey legalized the use of marijuana for recreational purposes this year. Overall, 68% support this, which is similar to 65% who said the same a year ago and 67% of the electorate who voted “yes” on the legalization ballot measure last November. However, only a little more than half (53%) of the state public is aware that recreational marijuana is in fact legal. Another 11% wrongly believe it is not legal and 36% are not sure.
On the general election ballot in November, voters will be asked if they want to legalize recreational marijuana in New Jersey. A Monmouth University poll from April shows 61% of residents are in favor, but advocates on both sides say it’s not a done deal.
“It’s really promising, but there’s a lot of work to do. Educating people that there is a ballot question is important,” said Bill Caruso with NJ United for Marijuana Reform.
New Jersey
Perhaps the state with the best chance of legalization is the Garden State. In December, New Jersey's two legislative houses voted very decisively in favor of putting a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would legalize recreational marijuana. Similar to the other states to have OK'd the recreational consumption and sale of adult-use weed, adults 21 and over would be allowed to purchase cannabis, and an excise tax would be collected on all sales.
As of February, the state’s marijuana program has more than 72,000 patients served by seven dispensaries, as well as more than 2,000 caregivers and 1,000 doctors.
“Support for the marijuana ballot measure is widespread in part because many who have no opinion on whether legalization is a good idea figure they might as well vote for it,” Pat Murray, the institute’s director, said in the Thursday morning report.
More than six in ten registered voters say that they intend to vote for a statewide ballot measure this November to legalize the adult-use cannabis market, according to polling data compiled by Monmouth University.
Sixty-one percent of respondents said that they will vote for the measure, which amends the state Constitution to permit the possession, production, and retail sale of cannabis to those age 21 or older. Lawmakers in 2019 overwhelmingly voted to place the measure on the 2020 November ballot after similar legislation failed to gain majority support in the Senate.
A majority of registered voters in New Jersey are in favor of a proposal to legalize marijuana for adult use that will appear on the state’s November ballot, according to a poll released Thursday.
Monmouth University’s survey asked respondents to weigh in on the cannabis legalization referendum question that lawmakers placed on ballot and to give their opinions on the potential risks and benefits of the policy change.
Sixty-one percent of respondents said they would vote in support of the proposal, while 34 percent said they’d vote against it.
New Jersey voters will also be asked to weigh in on whether the state should legalize marijuana. Currently, 61% say they would vote for and 34% would vote against a November ballot measure to amend the state Constitution “to legalize a controlled form of marijuana called cannabis for adults at least 21 years of age” in a market overseen by a state commission. Just 5% have no opinion on this. Support comes from 74% of Democrats, 64% of independents, and 40% of Republicans.
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).
Legalization a popular cause in state
According to a February poll conducted by Monmouth University, 62 percent of New Jerseyans believe that the possession and use of marijuana should be legal, and 74 percent support the expungement of past marijuana convictions.
Assembly and Senate lawmakers were initially expected to decide on the issue in March. However, plans for a Senate floor vote were pulled after it became apparent that the measure lacked majority support in the legislature’s upper house.
As for recreational pot, Sweeney has said he will now push for a voter referendum on the issue.
The move to a referendum makes sense. Recent polls have consistently shown the majority of Garden State voters support recreational weed. A Monmouth University poll in February showed 62 percent of New Jersey adults supported legalizing small amounts of recreational marijuana while just 32 percent opposed it. And of 10 states that have legalized recreational pot only Vermont did so without a referendum. However, voters in Ohio, Arizona and North Dakota have all rejected such measures.