COMMISSIONER PRESIDENT WAYNE L. RICHARDSON ISSUES STATEMENT OF SUPPORT ON THE PASSAGE OF ADULT USE CANNABIS REFORM BILLS

The signing into law of The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act by Governor Murphy was a great moment for the furtherance of justice in our state. The signing into law of this act – along with corresponding bills in the Assembly and Senate decriminalizing marijuana and hashish possession, and the revised possession penalties for individuals under 21 will be groundbreaking in the positive effect they will have for so many communities in Essex County.

Despite the wide spread usage of cannabis across all demographics of our nation, the disproportionate rate in which people of color are arrested, prosecuted, and incarcerated for marijuana offenses is alarming. Our state has one of the highest marijuana arrest rates in the nation. Although other groups use marijuana at the same levels, unfortunately, people of color are targeted and taken to jail 3½ times the rate of their white counterparts, showing the disparity.

These new laws will provide relief to those who have been stigmatized and unable to gain employment commensurate with their abilities due to prior low level marijuana offenses that are no longer viewed as criminal in the State of New Jersey.

These bills are intended to bring about justice and social change; the expectation for responsible behavior remains, and the decriminalization and revised penalties are not to be interpreted as approval of drug or alcohol use among individuals under 21 years of age, but are to be understood as an overdue response to inequity in our justice system.