Historic Vote Sees Passage of Legalization and Decriminalization of Marijuana in New Jersey, A Racial and Social Justice Milestone Years in the Making
 

For Immediate Release:

December 17, 2020

TRENTON – After years of advocacy from NJUMR and coalition partners across the state, the New Jersey Legislature today passed historic legislation to legalize and decriminalize marijuana in the Garden State. This momentous vote is an important milestone in ending the war on drugs and achieving greater racial and social justice in New Jersey.

A21/S21 legalizes marijuana and comes after New Jersey voters overwhelmingly approved amending the state constitution to do so in November. The bill includes landmark community reinvestment provisions that will serve as a national model, devoting 100 percent of an excise tax on cultivators and 70 percent of the marijuana sales tax to social justice initiatives.

Decriminalization legislation passed in the Assembly in a full floor vote, followed by a concurrence in the Senate, giving New Jersey one of the most progressive policies to stop criminalizing people’s use of cannabis, removing all criminal and civil penalties for cannabis possession of up to 6 ounces. The bill, S2535/ A1897, sponsored by Senator Teresa Ruiz and Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly, decriminalizes up to 6 ounces of cannabis, and downgrades the penalty for sale of up to 1 ounce with a warning for a first offense, followed by a charge of a fourth-degree crime for subsequent instances.

As the legislation now heads to Gov. Murphy’s desk, NJUMR turns to the regulatory process to ensure the bills are implemented as intended, and will continue to push for follow-up legislation to further strengthen the racial and social justice measures at the core of legalization.

Members of NJUMR issued the following statements:

Amol Sinha, Executive Director of the ACLU of New Jersey: “We cannot overstate the significance of today’s vote in terms of racial justice and civil rights, or the monumental achievement of establishing one of the most ambitious models for community reinvestment in marijuana legalization in the country. With this legislation, we begin to address the pernicious, racially inequitable legacy of prohibition – but justice will follow only if we hold lawmakers to their promises of equity and work relentlessly for the pivotal justice measures that were not included in this legislation. We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past, and the ACLU-NJ will do all we can to ensure that the injustices of prohibition do not carry over to legalization.”

Bill Caruso, Partner at Archer, P.C.: “Five years ago, together with many other organizations and individuals, NJUMR set out to lead the effort to end the prohibition of cannabis, work to reverse some of the harms created by the war against cannabis and create a new, regulated industry that will generate jobs and revenue to reinvest in our communities throughout NJ. Today, with the adoption of adult use and decriminalization statutes, we are almost there! I am so proud to have been part of this incredible effort and to have had the opportunity to work within this coalition of superstars assembled to tackle this important issue. I look forward to continuing to work with NJUMR, it’s partners, the legislature, Governor and the CRC to implement these reforms and continue to advocate for ongoing improvements. This is an exciting day in NJ!”

Rev. Dr. Charles Boyer, Founding Director of Salvation and Social Justice: “The spirit of justice is starting to take root here in New Jersey. Our fight has always been about race equity, economic justice, reparations, grace, mercy, and truth-telling. This has been such a powerful and transformative fight and journey and what is in front of the Legislature today is monumentally strong, especially in comparison to any other legalization movement around the nation. It is critical, as this moves forward, communities have the greatest say on how funds are reinvested. This is a first step, and it is certainly not the last.”

Christian Estevez, President of the Latino Action Network: “We are happy that the legislature is voting to finalize cannabis legalization. We have been fighting for social justice through cannabis reform for a very long time and we are relieved that we will finally see justice for the many Latino and Black residents that have been oppressed due to cannabis prohibition.”

Dr. David Nathan, Founder and Board President of Doctors for Cannabis Regulation: “Doctors for Cannabis Regulation urges the Senate and Assembly to pass the legislation up for a vote today. This bill will not just end the harmful policy of cannabis prohibition — it will advance social justice and public health through an evidence-based, common sense regulatory framework. We now look forward to working with the Cannabis Regulatory Commission on effective government oversight, testing, and, in particular, proper labeling of cannabis products.”

Evan Nison, Board of Directors Treasurer for NORML: “We commend the Legislature for carrying out the will of the majority of New Jersey voters and passing legislation to cease the practice of arresting tens of thousands of citizens annually for cannabis possession. For too long, New Jersey has had a reputation for arresting a greater per-capita percentage of its citizens for marijuana offenses than almost any state in the nation. These enforcement practices disrupted tens of thousands of lives, primarily the lives of young people and people of color. Of course, even with the passage of this legislation, there remains work to be done. Even after this bill is enacted into law, far too many New Jerseyans will remain in jail or under state supervision due solely to cannabis offenses. The ability for adults to have the discretion to grow at home also needs to be addressed by lawmakers. That said, this is a good day for those who care about justice in New jersey. We’re looking forward to ensuring this legislation is enacted as fairly as possible, as well as continuing to improve cannabis laws in the Garden State.”

Major Neill Franklin (Ret.), Executive Director for the Law Enforcement Action Partnership: “The prohibition of marijuana has done so much damage to police-community relations that it will be a long time before we repair those harms. We have a long way to go, but we’ve now taken the first steps toward justice and equity in our marijuana laws, and with it, the first steps toward a more fair and inclusive justice system.”

Todd Edwards, Executive Committee Chair of the NAACP NJ State Conference: “I want to applaud members of the Legislature for taking the steps to legalize and decriminalize cannabis for adult use in New Jersey and even more so for their commitment to reinvest in the communities most harmed. The NAACP is going to continue our fight for cannabis legalization centered around racial and social justice with the regulatory commission and work to ensure that the money promised to the neighborhoods most harmed goes to those communities.”