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After months of private negotiations, state-owned Democratic leaders released the latest version of a plan to create a multi-billion dollar legal marijuana industry in New Jersey on Wednesday and to allow the arrests and convictions for minors.
Hearings are scheduled for the "Canine Regulation Modernization and Cannabis Expulsion Act in New Jersey" Monday morning at the Trenton Statehouse.
By and large, the bill would legalize the possession and personal use of one ounce or less of marijuana for people at least 21 years of age, and would create, regulate and impose a commercial industry of marijuana in the state.
The legislation also creates a framework for an "accelerated write-off" process for people who have already been arrested and sentenced for possession or distribution of up to one ounce of marijuana. Within six months from the date of entry into force of the law, the Court Administrative Office shall create an electronic filing system allowing accelerated write-offs.
A separate bill will provide more details on the delisting process, said the sponsors.
The legislation is not very different from the latest NJ Advance Media proposal in September. But some key details have been clarified.
According to the latest version of (S2703):
* Cannabis delivery services would be allowed.
* Dispensaries would be allowed to create "consumer" areas – public lounges separate from retail stores, where people could become more loaded. However, the dispensary would need the local governing body to issue an order authorizing the area of consumption first.
* A cannabis regulatory commission, chaired by five members appointed between the governor and the legislature, would oversee virtually every aspect of the industry. The commission would be affiliated with the Treasury Department but independent. The executive director of the commission would be appointed by the governor and approved by the Senate.
* In addition to licenses for growers, processors, wholesalers and retailers, the bill creates "micro-licenses" to give smaller businesses an easier chance of entering the market.
* Applicants applying to be fired by the state as cannabis professionals must sign an agreement providing for the hiring of workers represented by unions. Exceptions are made for micro-business owners.
* The commission will give preference to candidates in impact areas, "for whom former criminal marijuana companies have contributed to increasing the concentration of policing, unemployment and poverty", according to the bill. The area must have at least 120,000 inhabitants, a high crime index, measured by the state police, among the 33% arrests for arrests related to marijuana or hashish and an average annual unemployment rate 15%.
Why this delay on legal weeds? Murphy and Sweeney point fingers
The Senate and Assembly budget committees are due to meet on Monday morning at 10 am to debate and vote on the draft law on legalization (S2703).
In addition, the Senate Committee on Health, Social Services and Seniors is to meet simultaneously to approve two bills (S10) and (S2426) that promise to make marijuana law for medical purposes more user-friendly and to develop the economic scope of the medical market.
The health committee will immediately send the medical legislation to the budget committees, which should approve them.
The next public step is a vote of the entire Senate and Assembly in mid-December.
But in the weeks that follow, negotiations will continue in earnest, as Governor Phil Murphy and legislative leaders must try to reach agreement on the final wording.
Murphy and the Democrats remain very far apart from each other on two major points of the bill: the rate of taxation and the power that a new commission created by the bill will exert on the new sector.
Senate Speaker Stephen Sweeney of D-Gloucester, Speaker of the House Craig Coughlin of D-Middlesex, and Senator Nicholas Scutari of D-Union, the main sponsor of the bill, stand firm to give the proposed Cannabis Regulatory Commission the power to control new cannabis. market. Murphy wants most decisions to remain in the hands of the administration.
Sweeney also said that he would not support a tax rate higher than 12%, plus 2% for cities willing to host cannabis companies. No matter what higher price, he said, and people could continue to buy in the illegal market.
But previous versions of the bill called for a five-year increase, with a maximum of 25%, and the governor, in private, said 12% was too low.
If both parties can not agree, legislators could pass the bill and send it to Murphy, allowing him to rewrite parts under a conditional veto.
Come back – it's a story in development.
NJ Advance Media's personal editor, Payton Guion, contributed to this report.
Susan K. Livio can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
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