A drug tied to many euphemisms and pop culture references reaches New Jersey ballots this November, as voters decide the state’s future with marijuana.
Since 2018, when he was sworn in, Gov. Phil Murphy has advocated for marijuana legalization, broadly understood simply as “legalization.” Several failed bills from both the state Assembly and Senate prompted the following public question to be added to the Nov. 3 General Election ballot:
“Do you approve amending the (state) Constitution to legalize a controlled form of marijuana called ‘cannabis?’ Only adults at least 21 years of age could use cannabis.”
The Cannabis Regulatory Commission, established in 2019 for medical cannabis, would oversee the market and its subsequent mandates if the voters say yes on their ballots.
“The use of cannabis would be legalized,” Attorney Steve Raymond Jr. stated. “It wouldn’t mean the next day you can go out and smoke it. The commission would be charged with implementing the rules for the sale, production and cultivation in the state.
“There is going to be some time between when the ballot passes.”
Raymond, of Raymond Coleman Heinold LLC in Moorestown, worked at the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, and later in criminal defense, where he handled marijuana cases at the state superior and municipal court levels.
