New Jersey State Senator Nicholas Scutari (D. Union) recently introduced Senate Bill 3195 (“the bill”) legislation to legalize the sale and consumption of recreational cannabis in the State of New Jersey. There are several reasons to believe that the Act will, after deliberation and modification, be enacted into law. First, polling data shows that the majority of New Jersey residents are in favor of legalization of cannabis. Second, not only does legalization have general bipartisan support, but it also has the support of New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney, who traveled to Colorado in 2016 with Senator Scutari and several other New Jersey legislators to observe Colorado’s highly successful recreational cannabis industry and returned with very favorable impressions. Finally, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy has declared his support for legalization of cannabis in New Jersey. The Republican gubernatorial candidate, Kim Guadagno, has not specifically taken a position on legalization of cannabis, but instead recently equivocated during a primary debate that she both favors decriminalization and supports Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ views on cannabis. Some version of the bill will probably be enacted in 2018. It is entirely possible that if enacted, the bill will contain new or revised provisions that do not currently exist in the proposed legislation. This post addresses the bill as presently written.
Saiber LLC is a business counseling and litigation law firm headquartered in Florham Park, with offices in Newark, New York, Philadelphia, and Scranton. For over 70 years, the firm has built a reputation for delivering innovative, creative, and cost effective solutions for a full-range of business and litigation matters. The firm represents a broad spectrum of clients, including closely-held businesses, multinational corporations, public and private universities, and government agencies. To learn more, please visit http://www.saiber.com.