Just as it seemed Gov. Phil Murphy’s office and the state Legislature had come to an agreement that would end a years-long struggle to legalize marijuana in New Jersey, opposition from lawmakers has derailed the effort in another bizarre twist in the saga, NJ Advance Media has learned. State Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, who sponsored a “cleanup” bill (S3320) […]
New Jersey
NJ legal weed deal in the works to lessen penalties for underage marijuana offenses
The governor’s office and Senate leaders are nearing an agreement that would remove criminal charges associated with underage marijuana possession and use, a deal that all sides hope will be the last one required before Gov. Phil Murphy signs the bills to legalize weed in New Jersey. While negotiations are continuing, legislative sources said Monday that a deal […]
A New Yorker’s Guide to Cannabis Legalization in New Jersey
In the 2020 general election, New Jerseyans voted two-to-one in favor of recreational cannabis legalization. Meanwhile, less than 10,000 feet across the Hudson in New York, the drug remains illegal. In order to figure out what New Jersey’s legalization means for cannabis use and possession in New York (for instance, when will we be able […]
N.J.’s cannabis industry is set to take off. Who can play? What do employers need to know?
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to sign two bills before New Year’s Day that will give birth to a new recreational marijuana industry in the Garden State and decriminalize the possession of up to six ounces of cannabis. The bills, which received strong bipartisan support in the state Assembly and Senate, will initially create 37 […]
NJ Passes Law To Legalize Adult Use Cannabis
On December 17, 2020, both houses of New Jersey’s legislature passed companion bills to create a new regulatory framework to govern the cultivation, processing, distribution and sale of state legal marijuana. The bill is expected to be promptly signed into law by Governor Murphy. This law will give effect to the constitutional amendment passed by […]
Why Jersey’s Adult Use Program Will Ignite East Coast Cannabis
With 44 million consumers banging on its door, and $950 million of revenue projected over the next three years, New Jersey’s adult use marijuana program is poised to define cannabis across the eastern seaboard. With 44 million consumers banging on its door, and $950 million of revenue projected over the next three years, New Jersey’s adult […]
New Jersey Legalizes Marijuana, But Growing At Home Is Still A Felony
New Jersey is set to become the only state in the U.S. where adults can legally use, possess, and purchase cannabis while still risking prison for growing marijuana at home—under any circumstances. On Election Day, more than two-thirds of voters in the state approved a constitutional amendment that legalized cannabis for adults 21 and over […]
NJ marijuana legalization: Phil Murphy, legislators reach deal on legal weed industry bill
Gov. Phil Murphy and legislative leaders have reached a deal on bills that would establish a framework for a legal weed industry, setting up a key vote in the coming weeks. In a statement, Gov. Phil Murphy, Senate President Stephen Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and bill sponsors Sen. Nick Scutari and Assemblywoman Annette Quijano […]
NJ marijuana will stay illegal after Jan. 1 if lawmakers can’t agree on legal weed rules
If legislators don’t pass bills regulating marijuana legalization, the drug will remain illegal — even if the Jan. 1 effective date of the legal weed ballot question passes, according to one constitutional law expert. More than two-thirds of New Jersey voters cast ballots to amend the state constitution to legalize marijuana, the most impactful — but not […]
Lawmakers planned to pass a legal weed bill Monday. Here are the disputes that stopped it from happening.
After last-minute disputes forced the Assembly and Senate to cancel Monday votes on landmark bills to halt many arrests for marijuana possession and launch a legal weed industry, a key lawmaker says it will probably be at least another week before any agreements are reached. But Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, who sponsored the legislation that […]