A few days short of the U.S. Elections, Phil Murphy, Governor of New Jersey, is still heavily ramping up support for marijuana legalization in the state.
Murphy has been touting the benefits of marijuana legalization, including economic growth and the realization of social justice. Shortly after a new campaign ad going public, the governor stated in an interview with Yahoo Finance that his administration plans to build a revenue-generating industry worth hundreds of millions once it picks up.
Murphy added that economic growth, coupled with social justice, makes the right combination.
Marijuana legalization is on the New Jersey ballot as Public Question 1. The referendum seeks to both legalize and commercialize industry. If it passes, the state is optimistic about commencing the drug’s legal sales to adults 21 and over in about a month. However, industry advocates and regulators feel that a hasty opening may result in accessibility and supply problems.
According to recent polls, the legalization initiative has garnered considerable support from voters, with surveys indicating that 60 percent of voters favor the public question.
Marijuana legalization in New Jersey shows a strong likelihood of renewing the hard-hit state budget—courtesy of the COVID-induced economic decline—by fetching in millions of dollars in revenue. But the governor asserts that the motivation behind his support for the initiative is the disparity in racial justice.
Speaking about the justice system, Murphy said that after his election, he witnessed a wide disparity in white and non-white incarcerations, which he attributes to minor drug offenses.
In the same vein with Gov. Murphy’s remarks, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) appeared in an NJ CAN 2020 campaign ad saying marijuana prohibition has been a war on people and not drugs.
Booker said that suffering veterans, who are supposed to be assisted and protected by the system are arrested and charged with marijuana possession. He added that the current drug enforcement laws target blacks, Latinos, and other low-income communities.
