NJ Cannabis Activist To Meet With Kamala Harris At White House

NEW JERSEY — A cannabis advocate with a history of activism in New Jersey and other states will soon get a chance to have a sit-down with Vice President Kamala Harris. The topic? Ending years of oppressive federal marijuana laws, he says.

Chris Goldstein, a regional organizer with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), will be among those in attendance at a policy discussion at the White House on Friday.

Another invitee? Hip-hop artist Fat Joe.

Goldstein – who was convicted of misdemeanor marijuana possession a decade ago for smoking a joint during a protest at Independence Hall National Historic Park in Philadelphia – is one of the thousands of Americans who were pardoned via a presidential proclamation that Biden issued in October 2022.

In December, Biden issued another more expansive pardon proclamation for people with federal marijuana convictions related to simple possession and use of the drug, which remains illegal under U.S. law. An online portal for those who wish to apply to receive written pardon certificates is available on the Justice Department website.

“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” Biden said at the time. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana.”

“It’s time that we right these wrongs,” the president added.

• See Related: NJ Governor Should Issue More Pardons To Prisoners, Advocates Say
• See Related: It's Time To Finally End New Jersey's Drug War, ACLU Says (VIDEO)

Activists with NORML have pointed out that almost all marijuana-related arrests are for violations of state and local laws, not federal law.

But to the people who have been arrested by the feds, Biden’s recent clemency announcements are a very big deal, Goldstein said.

“These presidential pardons are a powerful and meaningful action,” Goldstein insisted. “They carry a tremendous power of goodwill — not just to those of us who received them, but for the entire country. These pardons are seen by people everywhere as tangible signs of the White House taking action on marijuana policy.”

Goldstein said the cost for smoking a single joint was surprisingly steep: 24-months of supervised probation with weekly THC testing, a $3,000 cash fine, and a permanent criminal record.

“Pretty harsh for holding less than one gram of weed,” Goldstein wrote in a recent blog post.

• See Related: 'It's Hard To Move Forward,' Says NJ Father Arrested For Weed

LEGAL CANNABIS IN NEW JERSEY

New Jersey voters approved recreational marijuana in November 2020. But it wasn’t legal to fire up the bong until Gov. Phil Murphy signed the official framework into law in 2021. Now, adults 21 and over are allowed to consume cannabis on private property and possess up to six ounces of weed or 17 grams of hashish without penalty.

It’s legal to buy up to an ounce of cannabis at a licensed dispensary. However, New Jersey residents still can’t grow marijuana at home. See Related: 5 Things You Need To Know About Marijuana Legalization In NJ

As part of New Jersey’s law, people who have been arrested for many types of minor marijuana offenses can have their criminal records expunged, which means they won’t have to report their arrests on a job, housing or college application. Read More: NJ Courts Give Ax To 88,000 Marijuana Cases – More To Follow

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