Legal Weed In NJ Stalls; Newark Officials Ponder Alternatives

NEWARK, NJ — While legal marijuana in New Jersey may be off the table – for now – the effort to decriminalize weed and expunge criminal records for cannabis users can continue, a pair of officials in Newark and Essex County say.

On Monday, state lawmakers canceled a highly anticipated vote on recreational marijuana legalization after it became clear that there wasn’t enough support to pass it. Lawmakers said the bills aren’t dead, and could be reintroduced after the November state Legislature elections or in the form of a public referendum.

• See related article: New Jersey Cancels Vote On Marijuana Legalization

After news of the derailed cannabis vote broke, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Sen. Ronald Rice (District 28), who represents Newark, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Irvington and Nutley, each issued proposals about how the state should move forward.

RICE: ‘MUCH DIFFERENT THAN MEDICAL MARIJUANA’

Sen. Rice – a Democratic party member who has been against legalizing recreational cannabis in the past – issued the following statement on Monday:

“I agree with Senate President Steve Sweeney that we should have learned a lesson about the process of legalizing recreational marijuana, which is much different than medical marijuana.

“The public has not properly been educated on the topic of recreational marijuana. People don’t realize, particularly people in urban communities, how it will affect their lives. In urban communities, neighborhoods will struggle against the spread of ‘marijuana bodegas’ disguised as dispensaries.

“We should be pushing for legislation on the decriminalization of recreational marijuana. We should be promulgating for it, especially if it’s not about money and all about social justice like the governor says it is. I believe if we put together a decriminalization bill, it will receive 120 votes in the Legislature. This is what we should be putting our time and effort into passing.”

• See related article: New Jersey Senator Has Worries About Legalizing Marijuana
• See related article: NJ Marijuana Lobbyists Tripled Their Spending After Christie Left

BARAKA: ‘WE CAN’T LET POLITICS GET IN THE WAY’

On Monday evening, Mayor Baraka – who has been a supporter of marijuana legalization in New Jersey – vowed that the fight for “automatic expungement” will continue.

“While legislators debate on the moral implication of the legalization of the adult use of cannabis and its impact on our communities, the same vigor and energy must be given to the moral obligation that we have to those individuals and their families who have been impacted by bad drug policies,” Baraka said. “We cannot let politics get in the way.”

Provisions in the bill would have established an expedited expungement process for individuals convicted of low-level marijuana offenses, but would have prevented offenses that happen in certain areas – such as educational facilities and subsidized housing – from being discarded.

Baraka issued the following statement on March 25:

“Today, will mark another day that countless individuals are still in prison for non-violent cannabis offenses. It also marks one more day that over 200,000 people will be denied access to jobs, housing, the right to vote, obtain student loans, the right to bear arms, the ability to drive, and a long list of invariable freedoms that have crippled their full potential.

“Today, if you come from New Jersey’s communities of color and poorer communities, you will continue to be three times more likely to be arrested for possession of cannabis than if you were not born there.

“A cannabis conviction in the state of New Jersey means that you will not likely know what it means to have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. While today’s outcome was not one that individuals seeking social justice such as myself had hoped for, now more than ever, we cannot lose hope. I applaud the efforts of our state leadership in working together to seek provisions in a bill that seeks social justice. However, more work must be done for us to get there. From the onset of this bill, I have been pushing for the release of those currently in prison for all non-violent cannabis offenses, automatic expungements of records for all non-violent cannabis offenses and processes that seek these solutions and that are easy to navigate. We must continue to advocate and call upon our legislators to work with us to ensure that this chance at restoration is possible.

“Going forward, I will work even harder as I can see how close we came today.”

• See related article: 'It's Hard To Move Forward,' Says NJ Father Arrested For Weed
• See related article: NJ Marijuana Arrests Are Criminalizing Black Residents, Study Says
• See related article: Marijuana Justice Act Would Make Weed Legal In US

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