New Jersey legislators are preparing for a busy drug policy reform year. They have filed over a dozen laws addressing issues such as marijuana interstate commerce and home grows, employment and banking protections, psychedelics and kratom regulation, and even the legalization of marijuana and its derivatives.
Legislators from both sides are proposing a number of ideas to expand the adult-use marijuana market in the state since its legalization last year.
New Jersey, which is the only state that does not allow patients or consumers to grow their own plants at home for personal use, will be a focus of attention for advocates. Gov. Phil Murphy has stated he is “very open-minded”, but feels that the market needs to mature further before it’s enacted.
Below is a list of the key cannabis, psilocybin, and kratom legislation that New Jersey legislators filed for 2024.
- S1985 : Allows individuals over 21 to grow or possess up to six marijuana plants as a personal recreational product, or up to ten plants for medical purposes.
- A414 : Legalizes the possession of six marijuana plants or less.
- A846 / S1393 : Authorizes the home cultivation of medical marijuana.
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S2286:
In certain circumstances, the governor may authorize interstate cannabis commercial activity.- The Senate president Nicholas Scutari, a Democrat, is again sponsoring this interstate proposal after filed an earlier version which did not go beyond introduction by 2022.
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A901:
Financial institutions and insurance companies that do business with the cannabis industry are protected from state regulators.- A draft of the legislation was approved by an Assembly committee on December 20, 2022. However, it did not become law.
- S1126 Establishes a state bank to handle marijuana-related funds
- A453 / S1955 : Creates protections for insurance producers and insurers who are engaged in cannabis-related business.
- A1609 : Protects authorized medical cannabis patients from adverse employment actions.
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A2719:
Employer and employee protections are provided in relation to the use legalized cannabis products.- The legislation aimed at workers would build upon existing guidelines adopted by the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission which clarifies that employers cannot penalize employees based on a positive drug test for cannabis metabolites.
- S677 Permits employers to restrict the use of cannabis among certain employees.
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A2798:
The law allows law enforcement agencies the right to prohibit officers from using cannabis products for recreational purposes.- This proposal will resolve a dispute that has been ongoing in the state, where the Attorney General has stated that the Legalization Law protects police against being fired for cannabis use while off duty . The issue has now become the subject of litigation.
- S1943 : Requires coverage of workers’ compensation and personal injury protection, as well as health insurance for medical cannabis use under certain circumstances.
- A898 : Establishes a program to subsidise the purchase price of medical marijuana for qualified patients registered in Medicaid or NJ FamilyCare.
- : S1944 : Allows medical cannabis costs to be reimbursed from Catastrophic illness in Children Relief Fund (CAAD), Senior Gold, and VCCO.
- ACR76 Proposes constitutional amendment to allocate tax revenues from the legal sale of recreational cannabis for mental health and addiction recovery services.
- A1105 : Sales of medical marijuana are exempt from tax.
- A2879 : Sets THC Potency Limits for Cannabis Products.
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S2283:
The “Psilocybin Access to Behavioral Health Services Act” authorizes the production and use psilocybin for health and wellness promotion; it decriminalizes and expunges previous offenses related to psilocybin possession, use, and distribution.- is sponsoring the legislation after an earlier version failed . The bill would allow the cultivation of psychedelics for personal use. This is in contrast to the current cannabis law.
- A1188: Creates “New Jersey Kratom Protection Act.”
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Meanwhile, last month the governor and state attorney general announced the recipients of $5.2 million in hospital-based violence-intervention grants funded with revenue from state-legal marijuana.
Last month, New Jersey also opened applications for the second stage of its marijuana social equity funding program. The program will award $150,000 in grants and provide eight weeks of technical support to those who are selected.
Since the opening of shops, the state’s cannabis market has evolved in many other ways. In October, the state cannabis regulators began accepting public comments on proposed rules that would expand edible cannabis products available at licensed retailers. These include beverages, chocolates and baked goods.
The has already waived some requirements for the sale of other marijuana edibles.
The CRC also considered adopting new regulations that would allow dispensaries that are “clinically focused”, to form partnerships with research institutions in order to conduct cannabis studies on products they sell or grow.
California Lawmakers Approve bill to create Psychedelics workgroup and prepare for legal therapeutic access
Photo by Mike Latimer.
The post New Jersey lawmakers file bills to allow marijuana home grow, Interstate Commerce and Banking Protections, Psilocybin legalization, and More first appeared on Marijuana Minute.
