Will NJ Legalize Marijuana in 2020? – New Jersey residents will get to decide whether marijuana should be legalized in the Garden State. This comes after both houses of the state legislature voted recently to add the question to the 2020 ballot.
This measure passed the state Senate in a 24-16 vote at the Statehouse in Trenton late last year; the state Assembly voted 49-24 with one abstention. The legalization of marijuana for those over 21 has been on the campaign promise list of Gov. Phil Murphy for a while now – actually for the two years he has been in office.
However, this initiative has seen many setbacks. State Senate President Stephen Sweeney said back in November that he wouldn’t be taking the bill to the floor and would instead put it in the hands of the voters.
How Does This Work?
In order to get the question on the ballot as a constitutional amendment, the state Senate and Assembly both had to approve it by either three-fifths majority in a year or by simple majorities in two years back to back.
The 24 votes in the Senate shows a three-fifths majority; the 49 votes in the Assembly gives the house one more than is needed to reach the three-fifths.
There are leaders who are on both sides of the issue. Sen. Gerald Cardinale, R-Bergen, who opposes legalization, says traffic deaths have increased in states that have legal marijuana.
Supporters of the bill are worried that the brief nature of the ballot question won’t be able to fully encompass topics such as social justice and revenue. They would rather the legislation have more depth and heft. Opponents feel lawmakers are passing off their duty to the public after they have failed repeatedly to pass this law, preferring to dump the responsibility on citizens instead.
Here’s the Question:
Do you approve amending the Constitution to legalize a controlled form of marijuana called ‘cannabis’? Only adults at least 21 years of age could use cannabis. The State commission created to oversee the State’s medical cannabis program would also oversee the new, personal use cannabis market. Cannabis products would be subject to the State sales tax. If authorized by the Legislature, a municipality may pass a local ordinance to charge a local tax on cannabis products.”
There will be an interpretation of the question on the ballot, which states the soon-to-be appointed Cannabis Regulatory Commission for medical marijuana would regulate and oversee the market. In addition, if this passes, cannabis products will be subject to state sales taxes and local taxes imposed by municipalities.
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