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On November 3rd, residents of New Jersey celebrated when media outlets announced that cannabis had indeed won the election this cycle! Residents overwhelmingly voted in favor of cannabis legalization and the creation of an adult recreational market by a margin of over 800k votes. However, Governor Phil Murphy decided that the best way to ring in the new year was to ignore the desires of the 1,581,871 residents who voted in favor of cannabis legalization by reneging on the agreement made between himself and state lawmakers. But why?
Murphy, along with Senate President Stephen Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and bill sponsors Sen. Nick Scutari and Assemblywoman Annette Quijano announced that an agreement had been met on December 4th.
"We’re proud to announce today that we’ve reached an agreement on legislation providing the framework for legalization, which is a critical step in reducing racial disparities and social inequities that have long plagued our criminal justice system. This legislation will accomplish our shared goals of delivering restorative justice and ensuring that the communities most impacted by the War on Drugs see the economic benefits of the adult-use cannabis market,"
Residents rejoiced with the knowledge that as of January 1st there would be some sort of legalization in place preventing arrests for nonviolent cannabis possession. Unfortunately, in just under a month time, Governor Murphy made a complete turn of face. In an article published by NORML this morning it was revealed that "Murphy is calling for lawmakers to impose civil penalties of either $250 or $500 for offenses involving use and possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by those under 21." indicating that he still wishes to victimize underage users via extortion payments that would surely fall on the backs of their parents or guardians.
The addition of this language would directly defy the claim that this measure is meant to restore justice to the communities most impacted by the tyrannical war on drugs. If monies continue to be extorted from already impoverished communities, where exactly is the justice that was promised?
The delay of the signing of this bill also means that Cannabis possession will remain an arrestable offence in NJ until the language is revisited and agreed upon by the same people who announced an agreement had already been reached in early December. Murphy now refuses to sign the bill until lawmakers bend to his wishes putting the entire state in somewhat of a choke hold for freedom. Did this language somehow get missed in the bill?
“There was no drafting error. That language was intentionally intended to protect minors,” said one lawmaker familiar with the back-and-forth. “And why is the governor waiting until now to bring this up?”
Amol Sinha, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey and one of the members present as the original bill was being drafted said in a statement published by njspotlight.com that, “Children should not be severely punished for something that is decriminalized or legal for adults. I understand the urge to create disincentives to prevent youth use of cannabis, but criminalization is not the answer" a fact that has been made abundantly clear after almost 100 years of cannabis prohibition.
It's important to note that 2020 was not a gubernatorial election year in New Jersey. Had it been, perhaps governor Murphy would feel more obliged to serve his constituents. The New Jersey gubernatorial election will take place on November 2, 2021. Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, who was elected in 2017 with 56% of the vote, is eligible for re-election. Republican State Chairman Doug Steinhardt announced in early December that he intends to run against Murphy. The historically pro-legalizaton Libertarian Party is scheduled to announce their Gubernatorial nominee in March.
Will the Bill receive approval before campaign efforts begin? Platoon420 will continue to follow it's progress and report the truth.