For well over a year, New Jersey’s Democratic leaders have been trying to legalize and expand the use of cannabis in the state. Now that adult-use is all but certain to be on the 2020 ballot, and medical marijuana expansion is headed to Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk, experts are contemplating what comes next.
Illinois became the 11th state in the nation Tuesday to legalize adult-use marijuana after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a recreational bill into law.
The governor’s historic bill signing comes not long after New York and New Jersey both failed to legalize potential billion-dollar commercial recreational programs.
What lessons were learned by the cannabis industry, and how are business strategies shifting?
Why did those states fail, while Illinois succeeded in approving recreational marijuana via a legislative move?
One of the more complex issues confronting the latest wave of states looking to legalize cannabis, including New Jersey, is how to incorporate social justice efforts into legalization legislation. To date, 33 states have implemented medical cannabis programs and 10 states have legalized cannabis for recreational use. That number will soon rise to 11, as Illinois just became the first state where the legislature passed a bill legalizing both the possession and sale of cannabis, a designation most believed would go to New Jersey or New York.
New Jersey
After Senate Bill 2703 was tabled for lack of votes in the Democrat-controlled legislature in late March, there were hopes of finding the votes and getting the New Jersey Marijuana Legalization Act on the floor in Trenton. But despite support from Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, that didn’t happen in the spring legislative session.
Senate President Stephen Sweeney now says the best chance for legalization in the Garden State is a voter referendum in 2020. The legislature has to pass measures in 2019 and 2020 to allow such a popular vote.
“The bigger the stakes, the more vigorous the lobbying,” said Jeff Brindle, executive director of the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, which prepared the report. “Lobbying is an essential part of government. Special interest groups have a legitimate and integral role in helping to shape policies that affect the people of New Jersey.”
The $36.5 billion spending plan for 2019 was the most lobbied for issue, with 112 entities making 296 contacts to individuals and groups.
Efforts to legalize cannabis in New Jersey have stalled in recent months as Senate and Assembly leadership negotiated details of the proposed legislation with Governor Murphy, who campaigned on the issue and pledged to enact legalization within his first 100 days in office.
A burning joint, pleasantly fragrant and wrapped in organic hemp paper, rests between my fingers. I am pondering the reality of war continuing against me for this choice. Like many, I bear scars.
Marijuana smokers and medical cannabis patients in New Jersey are to remain second class citizens. The two-ring, bipartisan political circus in Trenton has failed to deliver a promise of our freedom… again.
Armed with a guitar and a life-sized bong costume, two marijuana legalization activists debuted a song about the more than 50 New Jersey towns that have pre-emptive banned the sale of cannabis should it become legal.
Edward “Lefty” Grimes and a fellow activist chose Wednesday night’s Seaside Heights borough council meeting to introduce their toe-tapper, which was taken in stride by officials and residents who smiled as the list of towns were rattled off in the duo’s cleverly-arranged lyrics.
Prospective businesses laid the groundwork in anticipation that lawmakers would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in New Jersey.
They scouted locations, talked with municipal officials and worked with consultants. Some even secured real estate.
But with a recreational market now still a ways off as legislators abandoned ship on their efforts to legalize it, these prospective businesses now feel let down. However, their time and expense haven’t necessarily been squandered by the measure’s apparent demise, experts said.
Contrary to what’s being said, lawmakers can still pass a bill legalizing adult-use of marijuana; it’s the wise thing to do
“The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated” read a cable sent by Mark Twain from London to the press in the United States after his obituary had been mistakenly published.