Thor Benson / Cannabis News Box Contributor

Jersey City, New Jersey had a whole day of decriminalized cannabis possession before its attorney general stepped in and said this policy was not legal. However, don’t despair, because now the attorney general is halting all cannabis prosecutions in the state until September. So what does this mean for decriminalization or legalization in New Jersey?

“Attorney General Grewal’s letter to prosecutors is a step forward for New Jersey that should bring us closer to reforming our marijuana laws and ultimately righting the wrongs of unjust marijuana enforcement,” ACLU-NJ Executive Director Amol Sinha said in a statement. “We must pump the brakes on marijuana arrests and prosecutions, and engage in a serious critical examination of how we handle the tens of thousands of marijuana arrests we make each year. By directing prosecutors to pause adjudication of marijuana cases, this letter starts that process.”

New Jersey legislators have been trying to legalize cannabis for some time, but it wasn’t possible when former Gov. Chris Christie was in office. The state voted in a pro-legalization candidate, Phil Murphy, at the end of 2017, but nothing has happened in terms of legalization yet. That said, Murphy has affirmed he’s committed to following through with legalization.

“I’m confident we can get something done,” Dianna Houenou, policy counsel for ACLU-NJ, told Cannabis News Box. “Governor Murphy has said he wants to see a legalization bill on his desk by the end of the calendar year. Importantly, we need to ensure that New Jersey is thorough in crafting a bill and incorporates racial and social justice provisions.”

Houenou said several legislators have confirmed they’ll only support a legalization bill that attempts to heal the wounds caused by the War on Drugs, especially for the minority communities that were ravaged by it. They believe too many minority citizens have been given criminal records because of the prohibition of cannabis, while fewer white people who use the drug at the same rate did, so that needs to be addressed.

“The conversation around providing expungements of people’s records continues to be a critical component of the bill, and I believe there will be a way for people to get expungements,” she said. “It’s just a question of what the expungement process will look like.”

So cannabis has essentially been decriminalized in New Jersey until September, and lawmakers have that time to work on a legalization bill that everyone is happy with and that the governor can sign. Advocates are hopeful that will happen, and it looks like the momentum is there.