Quijano, Holley, Timberlake & McKnight: We Remain Committed to Adult-Use Cannabis Bill

(TRENTON) – Assembly Democrats Annette Quijano (D-Union), Jamel Holley (D-Union), Britnee Timberlake (D-Essex) and Angela McKnight (D-Hudson) released the following statement today regarding the future of their legislation (A-4497) that would legalize adult-use cannabis in New Jersey:

“We remain committed to enacting fair and responsible legislation to legalize adult-use cannabis in New Jersey. We have listened to the will of the majority of New Jerseyans and taken a common-sense approach to regulation of cannabis. We’ve placed the necessary focus on expungement for cannabis offenses within this bill and created a new, more expedited process for residents to request expungement.  

“Undoubtedly, this is the largest regulatory undertaking the state has considered since the casino commission. We are proud of what we have accomplished with this legislation. Remaining at status quo meant continued disparity in arrests for African Americans and teens for amounts now to be considered personal use.  We are moving the state in a direction more compassionate for cannabis and in line with what is happening across the country in regards to legalization.

“Our work is not done. We will continue to work with Speaker Coughlin, our colleagues and advocates to pass a bill that will be a model for the nation.”