
Daniel T. McKillop
Partner
201-896-7115 dmckillop@sh-law.comFirm Insights
Author: Daniel T. McKillop
Date: March 22, 2019
Partner
201-896-7115 dmckillop@sh-law.comOn March 18, the New Jersey Assembly Appropriations and Senate Judiciary committees passed the latest version of New Jersey’s Cannabis Regulatory and Expungement Aid Modernization Act (Senate Bill 2703). Now Governor Murphy, Senate President Stephen Sweeney, and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin must secure the necessary votes to pass the legislation in both the Assembly and the Senate with a vote on March 25, which is the last opportunity for the full Legislature to vote on the bill before the three-month budget negotiation process kicks off. All three politicians have acknowledged that they do not currently have the 21 votes in the Senate and 41 votes in the Assembly needed to approve the bill.
“We’re going to have to put everything into this. There is only one state in America that has done this legislatively. Public opinion is overwhelmingly in favor of this. We’re not only expunging and undoing a whole lot of social injustices but creating a new industry. This is not an easy lift,” Gov. Murphy said.
S-2703 will legalize the adult use of recreational cannabis in New Jersey. The bulk of S-2703 is unchanged from the prior iteration the Senate and Assembly committees approved in November. Some of the major points of the bill are below.
If the Governor, Senate President Stephen Sweeney, and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin are able to generate enough support in Trenton in the next several days, the full Senate and Assembly will vote on the adult use bill a related expungement bill (S-3205), and the medical marijuana expansion bill (S-10), all of which are moving through the legislative process together.
If approved, the bills will go to Governor Murphy to be enacted into law and New Jersey will be the first state in the nation to legalize, tax, and regulate adult-use cannabis through legislation. If the recreational cannabis legislation fails to gain enough votes, legalization efforts will be on hold for at least three months. “It’s got to get done on March 25 or it’s not getting done until fall,” Sen. Sweeney stated. “Trying to move a marijuana bill during a budget break is not healthy.”
The Scarinci Hollenbeck Cannabis Law Practice group will be continuously tracking the status of the legislation. We encourage current and prospective members of the New Jersey cannabis industry to check back regularly for updates.
If you have any questions or if you would like to discuss the matter further, please contact me, Dan McKillop, at 201-806-3364.
This article is a part of a series pertaining to cannabis legalization in New Jersey and the United States at large. Prior articles in this series are below:
Disclaimer: Possession, use, distribution, and/or sale of cannabis is a Federal crime and is subject to related Federal policy. Legal advice provided by Scarinci Hollenbeck, LLC is designed to counsel clients regarding the validity, scope, meaning, and application of existing and/or proposed cannabis law. Scarinci Hollenbeck, LLC will not provide assistance in circumventing Federal or state cannabis law or policy, and advice provided by our office should not be construed as such.
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