(Trenton, New Jersey) – According to reporting from Politico, an attempt to pass a bill legalizing marijuana during the ‘lame duck’ session has failed to garner enough support. Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action) and its New Jersey affiliate, New Jersey Responsible Approaches to Marijuana Policy (NJ-RAMP) released the following statement in response:

“Public health and safety advocates can once again take a sigh of relief today. It is par for the course for the marijuana industry’s promoters in the legislature to try and legalize the drug through back door means, but thankfully lawmakers stood strong in opposition.

“Our coalition of concerned New Jerseyans have fought against Governor Phil Murphy’s legalization push from day one. Despite being outspent 86 to 1, we were able to halt the push in the State House. Now, with the effort moving to the ballot box, we will work to counter the industry’s well-tuned misinformation campaign, educate voters to the harms marijuana legalization has brought to the handful of states that have adopted it, and defeat the industry in the Garden State once and for all.”