Bill Stopping Spread of Expunged Criminal, Marijuana History Passes NJ Assembly
Legislation to protect certain individuals whose criminal records, including marijuana charges, have been expunged or erased passed the General Assembly recently. The bill is A3881, “Prohibits dissemination of certain criminal history background information,” sponsored by Assemblywomen Annette Quijano (D-Union) and Ellen J. Park (D-Bergen). It would prohibit the spread of certain criminal history background information. […]
MORE Act Passes US House Again
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act on Friday to further cannabis social justice and end the War on Drugs. The MORE Act bill H.R. 3617 would remove marijuana from the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Thus it would allow state cannabis markets to operate freedom from federal interference. Removing it from the […]
NJ Social Equity Applicants Partner with Ayr for Expungement Clinic
The vertically integrated large cannabis corporation Multi-State Operator (MSO) Ayr has partnered with the NJ social equity license applicant The Library of New Jersey for a marijuana expungement clinic on Sunday in Rahway. Last year Ayr bought Garden State Dispensary (GSD) chain. They now operate its locations in Woodbridge in Middlesex County, Union Township in […]
Wealthy Towns in Impact Zones Added to Issues On Cannabis Discrimination Lawsuit
Attorney William Riback believes the New Jersey impact zones list is faulty since it includes towns that were not damaged by the War on Drugs. He is adding it to the lawsuit against cannabis prohibition enforcement. A class-action lawsuit Drayton v. State of New Jersey, was filed in the Superior Court in Mercer County by […]
Bipartisan Expungement Bill Introduced, Congress Divided on Federal Cannabis Policy
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez & Dave Joyce introduced a bill to change federal cannabis policy to incentivize expunging marijuana convictions.
MORE ACT Repealing Cannabis Prohibition Passes House Judiciary Committee Again
The United States Congress House Judiciary Committee has once more passed the MORE Act, which would end federal cannabis prohibition. The committee passed HR 3617: The Marijuana, Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2021. The bill repeals the federal prohibition of cannabis by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). This would provide […]
United Nations De-schedules Cannabis in Vienna
In a historic move, the United Nations (UN) has de-scheduled cannabis in a 27-25 vote, with the United States voting in favor. The Commission for Narcotic Drugs (CND), made up of 53 countries, voted to deschedule cannabis yesterday while meeting in Vienna, Austria. De-scheduled Cannabis Consequences For many years, the United States pushed for drug […]
NJ AG Tells Prosecutors to Hold Off on Cannabis Charges for Now
NJ Attorney General Gurbir Grewal sent a letter to halt prosecutions of cannabis charges in light of legalization on New Year’s Day. Grewal wrote that New Jersey municipal, county and state prosecutors are instructed to pause addressing cannabis charges. Until at least January 25, 2021. “Fairness and justice require that we, as prosecutors, not move […]
Elon Musk Tweets About Essential Cannabis and Criminal Justice Reform
Entrepreneur and tech whiz Elon Musk tweeted in favor of the COVID-19 pandemic “essential” cannabis and the need for criminal justice reform on Saturday. He noted that while the cannabis industry has largely been deemed “essential” during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many prisoners for cannabis crimes remain locked up in jail. The issue of the […]
Murphy Orders Jails to Release Some NJ Marijuana Prisoners to Cope with COVID-19
Due to the threat of the spreading COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Phil Murphy ordered the release of certain NJ marijuana prisoners from jail. Helping NJ Marijuana Prisoners Murphy recently signed an Executive Order that released “low-risk” inmates from State Prison who were denied parole in the last 12 months or were scheduled to be free within […]
Decriminalization Criminal Justice Reform Fails During NJ Lame-Duck Session
NJ decriminalization criminal justice reform, whereby 50 grams or less of cannabis would be treated comparable to a parking ticket, is dead in the lame-duck legislative session between the November election and the new Assembly’s swearing-in next week. The current NJ Assembly session ends next Tuesday, January 14th, at noon. There will likely be votes […]
NJ Cannabis Law Is Cornerstone To Criminal Justice Reform
Whether you voted for Governor Phil Murphy (D) or not, one thing that seems obvious is that NJ cannabis law reform enthusiasts love him. He is serious about criminal justice reform. Murphy Stays Course On NJ Cannabis Law Reform Prior to Murphy taking the stage at his inaugariation, the Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan were […]