New Jersey Deputy Majority Leader and Lawrence Township municipal prosecutor Reed Gusciora has introduced a bill to allow adults to cultivate up to six cannabis plants if adult-use legislation is approved in the state, the Philadelphia Enquirer reports. The measure, which would be “melded” with the recreational use legislation introduced by Sen. Nicolas Scutari, would require the plants to be grown indoors.
“Looking at the marijuana laws in place in California, Oregon, Washington and the like, I thought that homegrown should be an essential element of the New Jersey law, too.” – Gusciora to the Inquirer
The prosecutor calls cannabis enforcement “an expensive proposition for everyone,” noting that the state foots the bill for the police officers, lab technicians, and attorneys to try each case.
“Ninety percent of the arrests on the municipal level are about a joint found in an ashtray. The person faces up to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine, a six-month loss of their driver’s license and $800 in other fees that the state assesses.” – Gusciora to the Inquirer
Gov. Phil Murphy strongly supported cannabis legalization on the campaign trail; however, a Feb. 1 poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University found just 42 percent support for adult-use legalization in the state.