Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop endorsed medical magic mushrooms for veterans, said he inhaled, and held a weed plant at the Cannademix cannabis convention at the American Dream Mall.
Fulop is running in the June 10th primary to be the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in the November general election.
Cannademix CEO Josh Alb interviewed him.
Fulop for Medical Shrooms for Vets
“There is a conversation around veterans and psychedelics down in Trenton right now. Those are healthy conversations,” Fulop noted.
“It seems you have just come out for this,” Alb said.
“Particularly around veterans, there are a lot of opportunities and experiences in science that are worth exploring,” Fulop said. “You would start there and incrementally move from there…”
A medical mushrooms legalization bill is stalled after making progress last year.
Fulop Inhaled
“Do you partake in the wonderful plant?” Alb asked.
“I have in the past, very much. I’ll leave it at that,” Fulop joked.
Later, Legacy to Lifted dispensary on the West Side owner Chris Broderick thanked Fulop for his work on cannabis reform.
“Did you inhale?” he asked.
“Yes,” Fulop replied, chuckling.
He said most politicians have tried it when they were young, around college age, but stigma causes them to lie.
Fulop Holds Plant/Re-endorses Homegrowing
Alb brought a plant to the stage and passed it to Fulop.
“I love it,” Fulop declared.
“When we talk about growth, this is exactly what it looks like,” Alb joked.
Alb said the plant was from Piff Coast Farms.
“It’s hemp,” he added.
As a baby plant clone, it did not have flower to harvest to consume and get high.
“In a perfect world, how would home grow work? What state would you say does it best?” Fulop asked.
Alb said California its medical cannabis law Prop 215 allowed 6 to 8 plants to be grown at home.
“It helped grow the market because now dispensaries can sell cuttings, they can sell clones. They can sell seeds,” he argued.
“Who pushed back on the home grow when it was in New Jersey?” Fulop asked.
“Curaleaf,” Alb replied.
NJ Senate President Nick Scutari (D-22-Union), while championing the legal cannabis market, has consistently opposed home grow progress.
“I’ll help you out with that,” Fulop said. “You got my word on that.”
He is on the record endorsing home grow, as are most of the other Democratic candidates except Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-5) and State Senator John Bramnick (R-21-Union).
Justifying a Competitive Cannabis Market
“We’re going to let the market decide winners and losers instead of putting artificial obstacles in place…,” Fulop explained.
There was later a question about this.
“When I hear letting the market decide, I hear oversaturation,” UFCW union Organizer Mike Burry said. “Why would a small business choose to open in Jersey City if the stated plan of the Mayor is to let some of those businesses go out of business?”
He wanted dispensary workers to keep good jobs for a while.
Fulop noted more dispensaries have opened in Jersey City than elsewhere in the State.
“It’s all been based on the political mood of the elected positions, the mayor and the council… What that leads to is political corruption number one and political favoritism …,” he explained.
Heady NJ has heard rumors of political corruption with cannabis licenses and is eager to expose it.
Jersey City Cannabis Events and Lounges
Alb noted that cannabis events are difficult to hold and was grateful to the American Dream Mall for hosting them.
“How can you see loosening those regulations, making sure that ya know we can enjoy stuff like this here…?” he asked.
“I do want to see the consumption component move forward a little bit faster. We haven’t seen consumption lounges across New Jersey. It’s another opportunity…,” Fulop explained.
“Under your leadership, how could you see events opening up to permit sales, like we have with liquor licenses, for instance?” Alb asked.
“…People don’t fully understand why it’s an asset…,” Fulop noted. “Investing money is very important in the State in regards to education, and it hasn’t happened enough.”
“More places should be like this,” he added.
Alb told Heady NJ that the American Dream Mall didn’t mind people consuming cannabis outside in the parking garage. He said Cannademix was going to have a designated smoking area on the roof, but it was too windy.
Alb later noted to Fulop that he hosted an event at Hudson County Community College (HCCC).
“They were the first to let us consume raw cannabis. We were teaching people how to roll joints and consume safely. Again, all part of safe consumption and advocacy. Mocktails, dab bars, the whole 9 yards, with a job fair attached to it, and an expungement clinic,” he explained. “Do you want to see that come back?”
“I would love that. I didn’t even realize Hudson County Community College did that. That’s really amazing,” Fulop noted. “We’re happy to facilitate that.”
Setting NJ Cannabis Policy
Alb noted that Scutari introduced a bill to re-criminalize possession and the underground legacy market.
“Do you agree with something like that?” he asked.
“…No,” Fulop replied.
Alb noted the need to support small businesses trying to open.
Fulop endorsed expanding the NJ Economic Development Authority (EDA)’s cannabis grant to help struggling local cannabis entrepreneurs.
Alb explained he was for adult-use cannabis tax revenue for good causes. However, he said a SEEF tax raise paid by businesses would hurt small ones.
“…We should be conscious of the tax conversation,” Fulop noted.
“What does your vision for the CRC (Cannabis Regulatory Commission) look like?” Alb asked.
“It’s important to have people that have experience in the space, that have been longtime advocates, and people that represent minority communities that have experienced disproportionate incarceration in the past,” Fulop noted.
Courting the Cannabis Vote
Alb said that 20 percent of the 7 million who are 21 and older in Jersey say they consume. Even if only half the consumers vote, they could be influential.
Fulop noted it would take far less than 700,000 voters to be influential in the primary.
“You have a lot at stake on June 10th and even more at stake in November,” he added.
In 2021, Governor Phil Murphy won re-election as a Democrat and continued cannabis legalization. In Virginia, Republican George Youngkin won the Gubernatorial election, and they still don’t have a legal adult-use cannabis market.
