New Jersey governor Phil Murphy fights state lawmakers for marijuana legalization
In a speech the governor delivered on Tuesday (March 13), in which he announced his new budget, Murphy said he calculated the numbers based on the assumption that cannabis will be legalized.
“According to research, New Jersey spends upwards of $140 million per year adjudicating low-level marijuana possession offenses,” Murphy said. “And, marijuana-related arrest rates are tilted three-to-one against African-Americans, even though rates of marijuana use are similar among races.”