On Tuesday, New Jersey’s Governor, Phil Murphy, reaffirmed his move to accept legislation to foster a legal marijuana market after voters passed a decriminalization referendum late last year.
During his state address, Murphy pointed out that his administration will soon accent innovative regulations that would historically revolutionize the unjust approach to cannabis.
Activists were hoping that legislators would quickly approve the reform to allow authorization; however, disagreements between the legislature and the governor concerning various provisions on underage individuals have stalled the bill.
On Monday, a revised reform was expected to table for a floor vote. However, it was postponed when top lawmakers failed to support it.
During the state address, the governor said that residents voted strongly in favor of adult-use marijuana legalization during the ballot elections held two months ago. The voters also wanted to initiate the process of eradicating racial impartiality that punishes colored folks disproportionately arrested for cannabis offenses.
Phil added that his administration is creating a marijuana sector that’ll enable the development of new small ventures. Most of these small businesses will be under the ownership of minorities, women, and veterans.
He admitted that the decriminalization process was a challenging feat and time-consuming. However, New Jersey is in a better position, a wiser place, and more impartial than before.
Legislators initially launched the cannabis regulatory reform in November. Since then, the bill has been revised severally with delays in legislative efforts.
The latest issue centers around Phil’s concerns regarding the missing penalties for individuals who are less than 21 years old arrested for marijuana possession. Phil admitted that he might not sign the legislation without such aspects; however, legislators argued that they don’t intend to criminalize underage folks.
Early this week, Murphy said that he’s optimistic that he can reach a consensus with legislators to enable legislation.
