The anti-underground legacy and NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ-CRC) reform bill continues making progress through the legislature.
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It passed the Assembly Health Committee this week after passing the NJ Senate in December before Christmas. That’s after it was rammed through the Judiciary Committee and Budget Committee.
NJ Senate President Nick Scutari (D-22-Union) has been spearheading the effort with the bill S 4847.
Anti-Underground Legacy Mission for State Police
A bill amendment says that “The Division of State Police, in consultation with local law enforcement agencies and the Cannabis Regulatory Commission, shall develop and implement an enforcement program to identify, investigate, and initiate enforcement action against any person or entity engaged in the unlicensed manufacture, distribution, or sale of purported cannabis or cannabis items, the unlawful manufacturing, distribution, or dispensing of marijuana.”
Also “the New Jersey State Police or the local law enforcement agency, in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General in the Department of Law and Public Safety, may take such necessary steps to close any business … seize any marijuana manufactured, distributed, or dispensed … by an unlicensed business, and refer any violation … to the Attorney General or the prosecutor of the county in which the business is located for criminal prosecution.”
According to the Office of Legislative Services (OLS), “The State Police may incur additional annual expenditures to develop and implement an enforcement program pursuant to the bill. The OLS notes to the extent that the State Police are already undertaking activities required by the bill, any State expenditure increases would be minimized.”
Proposed Legislative Cannabis Changes
Most of the bill concerns the NJ-CRC’s operations. A lot of the bill is designed so that the new Mayor of Springfield, Harris Laufer, will be a Commissioner and unimpeded in either endeavor.
Notably, the floor amendment permits licensed dispensaries to maintain up to two
satellite locations for a chain of 3 with one license.
It clarifies that a familial relationship to the holder, other than the spouse, domestic partner, or civil union partner, and any dependent child or stepchild, doesn’t affect the prohibition against a license holder concurrently holding more than one license of each class.
Notorious advocate and underground legacy operator Ed “NJWeedman” Forchion has been very unhappy at this since he wanted a family business.
The bill makes clear that some state politicians, appointees, aides, and civil servants can hustle legal weed.
It says “members of the immediate family of any State officer, employee, or a person may also represent, appear for, or negotiate on behalf of any holder of or applicant for a medical or adult-use cannabis business.”
The bill allows members of the immediate family of a special State officer or employee without responsibilities for matters affecting the cannabis industry to hold an interest in such businesses.
The bill does “subject certain persons associated with partnerships, firms, or corporations that represent, appear for, or negotiate on behalf of cannabis businesses to a two-year screening period from personal participation in any such representation, appearance, or negotiation.”
The NJ Legislature did clarify that minority owned dispensaries sold to non-minority owners cannot call themselves minority owned.
The Assembly version A 6267 was introduced by Assemblyman Reginald Atkins (D-20-Union).
Assembly Health Committee Passes Bill
Only one person testified on the bill before the Assembly Health Committee hearing on the first day back.
“Medical cannabis is already too expensive and too difficult to access,” Hillary Herzig declared. “…This bill threatens to make it worse.”
She said it’s especially bad for disabled veterans struggling with anxiety, sleeping, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Herzig said high prices help the underground legacy market, which she did not seem to like.
She was also curious about where the tax revenue from cannabis sales has thus far gone.
Assembly Health Committee Chair Carol Murphy (D-7-Burlington) said she did not like recreational cannabis but agreed on the price and tax issues.
“Allowing active members of the Commission to play a role in politics is a direction we should not be taking,” Assemblyman Brian Rumpf (R-Ocean-9) argued.
It passed the committee without further discussion.
