New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) has passed legislation that legalizes and regulates the use and possession of marijuana for adults 21 years of age or older.
The legislation also decriminalizes possession of marijuana and hashish, his office announced on Monday.
“Our current marijuana prohibition laws have failed all social justice tests, which is why, for years, I strongly supported the legalization of cannabis for adults,” said Murphy in a statement.
“Maintaining a status quo that allows tens of thousands, disproportionately of color, to be arrested in New Jersey each year for low-level drug offenses is unfair and indefensible,” he added.
“In November, New Jersey residents overwhelmingly voted to create a well-regulated cannabis market for adult use. Although this process took longer than anticipated, I believe it is ending in the right place and will ultimately serve as a national model. “
According to Asbury Park Press, the measure makes New Jersey the 13th state in the country to legalize the drug for recreational use by adults.
New Jersey residents voted last November in favor of a constitutional amendment allowing the possession, sale and use of cannabis by residents 21 and over, making the state the first to approve the legalization of marijuana as an electoral measure.
Murphy, who has served as Governor of Garden State since 2018, lobbied for legalization during his campaign. However, the question was put on the ballot for the 2020 general elections after failed to raise sufficient support in the state legislature.
In his announcement on Monday, Murphy called for state action to legalize the drug a “monumental step to reduce racial disparities in our criminal justice system, while building a promising new industry and positioning itself on the right side of history.”
According to a analysis by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) more than 7 million people in the country were arrested for possession between 2001 and 2010.
Although blacks and whites in the U.S. used marijuana at roughly the same rate at the time, according to the analysis, blacks were almost four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession.
Sen. Cory Booker
Cory BookerBiden, lawmakers celebrate John Lewis’ 81st birthday: ‘May we continue his mission’ Conservation League voters add issues of racial justice to the 2020 Congressional scoreboard The Hill’s Morning Report – Democrats prepare a gigantic relief bill for 10 day race MORE (DN.J.) applauded Murphy, as well as the efforts of state lawmakers on the matter.
“The failed Drug War has systematically targeted people of color and the poor, disproportionately impacting black and brown communities and injuring families in New Jersey and across our country,” said Booker, while promising to work with his colleagues in the Senate “to end the federal marijuana ban so that we can finally begin to heal the wounds of decades of injustice.”
State Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D), whom Murphy’s office has classified as “leading advocate of marijuana legalization for adults” for the past 10 years, said the move “will usher in a new era of social justice by ending the failed policy that criminalized the use of marijuana ”.
“Many people have been arrested, jailed and left with a criminal record that disturbs and even destroys their lives. We don’t want the criminal justice system to be an unfair barrier to success, ”he said.
One of the bills signed by Murphy on Monday, A1897, includes reforms for criminal and civil penalties for marijuana and hashish offenses, his office said, and “provides medicine to people who currently face certain marijuana charges.”
The legislation, his office also declared, will prevent “low-level illegal distribution and possession offenses from being used in parole, parole and parole decisions and provides certain protections against discrimination in employment, housing and places of employment. public accommodation “.
In addition, it provides a way for certain infractions committed prior to the implementation of the legislation to be actively eliminated.
Another bill signed by Murphy on Monday, S3454, clarifies “penalties for marijuana and possession and consumption of marijuana for individuals under 21,” his office said.
The change comes about a year after Murphy passed legislation that sealed records of low-level marijuana convictions once the sentence has been served.
Carly Wolf, manager of state policies at the National Organization for Marijuana Law Reform, said on Monday that the legislation signed by Murphy was “long overdue”.
“Now, from now on, tens of thousands of New Jerseyans who would otherwise comply with the law will no longer be subject to arrest and criminal records for their personal use of marijuana, and the commercial market will be regulated fairly and fairly. inclusive ”, Wolf added in a statement.
“For the past fifty years, the criminalization of marijuana has been used as a tool to boost mass incarceration,” said state senator Sandra Cunningham (DN.J.) in a statement. “This caused immeasurable damage to black and brown communities across the country, and today we are starting to repair the ship here in New Jersey.”
“I look forward to seeing the tangible impact that this legislation will have on our communities in the years to come,” she added.
Updated at 14:29