Gov. Phil Murphy and legislative leaders today confirmed they have reached an agreement on the main provisions of a bill to legalize recreational adult-use marijuana, setting up the possibility of a vote before the budget break at the end of next week.
Senate President Steve Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, Senator Nicholas Scutari, and Assemblywoman Annette Quijano joined Murphy in a press release announcing the main provisions of the bill. They include:
- a $42-per-ounce excise tax;
- a 2 percent municipal tax on product grown or manufactured within the town’s jurisdiction;
- a 1 percent municipal tax on wholesalers within a town’s district;
- a 3 percent local tax on product sold within their jurisdiction.
Adult-use marijuana would be governed by a five-member Cannabis Regulatory Commission, which would promulgate all regulations to govern the industry and oversee the applications for licensing of adult-use marijuana dispensaries.
“I believe that this legislation will establish an industry that brings fairness and economic opportunity to all of our communities, while promoting public safety by ensuring a safe product and allowing law enforcement to focus their resources on serious crimes,” Murphy said.
“This plan will allow for the adult use of cannabis in a responsible way,” Sweeney said. “It will create a strictly regulated system that permits adults to purchase limited amounts of marijuana for personal use. It will bring marijuana out of the underground market so that it can be controlled, regulated and taxed, just as alcohol has been since the end of Prohibition.”
“The agreement reached to legalize adult-use cannabis is the result of incredibly hard work by many people over many months,” said Coughlin. “Getting to this point wasn’t easy.”
NJBIA will continue to push for employers’ rights to maintain a drug-free workplace, and will work with bill sponsors to ensure the bill makes it clear legalization does not change that.
Under current law, employers can prohibit employees from being at work under the influence of illegal drugs or of alcohol, and even legal medications if they are being abused. If an employee is suspected of being under the influence, the employer has the ability to require a drug test and to take appropriate action, including terminating their employment.
“For any legalization policy to be effective, employers must be able to maintain a drug-free workplace,” said Mike Wallace, NJBIA Vice President for Government Affairs. “Employers continue to have this right in other states where marijuana has been legalized, including Colorado, California and Massachusetts.”
Just what our state doesn’t need.
Can’t you just hear the sound of the druggies from Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York rushing the bridges to buy their dope in New Jersey! Think of all the business to be had in making fake New Jersey drivers’ licenses for sale to the kiddies like back in the day when liquor stores sold booze to teenagers on their way to the shore, or just out for a night on the town.
You can see the future. Are you high or just ignorant?
This is what was said about alcohol back in the day…
Such great optimism. Debby Downer. Give it a chance.
This entire MJ is the begining of the end, and for what $$$$
A rushed decision that has not considered all the fallout to be dropped upon NJ communities and it’s inhabitants. When the expected revenue is less than anticipated as it will be and the damage to innocent bystanders becomes increases, then what?
You can foresee the future. Are you high?
Let’s not even consider the potential negative health ramifications of smoking weed. Or, perhaps the idea that who is going to pay such a high tax for something they can easily obtain illegally. More pandering for votes by the terminally stupid!!! Ridiculous
Negative health ramifications of alcohol are worse…should we ban alcohol?
I forgot,,, 2 wrongs always make a right in the bizarro world
The politicians have been looking for a way to fund the overly generous and unsustainable pension system maybe they found it in taxing pot. Its being consumed so why not tax it!
I feel its easier for addictive people to destroy themselves by abusing alcohol than pot. I have not heard of any states imploding after leagalizing Pot.