State Sen. Nick Scutari (D-Union) will be unveiling long-awaited legislation to regulate and tax marijuana in New Jersey on Monday, he announced today.
The proposal has no chance while Gov. Chris Christie remains in office. But with the Republican’s term ending in January, and all the major Democratic candidatesfor governor this year in favor of legalization, Scutari’s plan is likely to serve as an important blueprint for the next administration if a Democrat wins office. The leading Republican candidates — Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno — have said they favor decriminalizing but not fully legalizing the drug.
New Jersey is clearly moving to join the many states that have legalized recreational marijuana – eight in just the last five years.
We could do this in two ways: either by making pot a legal substance and taxing it, or by permitting people to possess a small amount, instead of arresting them.
So now that a renewed effort is underway to reform our failed marijuana policy, time to revive that critical debate: legalization, or decriminalization?
Ridgewood NJ, April 20, or 4/20, is known by many as “Weed Day” in some circles because the date corresponds with a numerical code for marijuana. There are many legends and rumors as to where the name came from .
However one thing is true for Garden Stater’s it was first reported by The Star-Ledger’s Editorial Page Editor Tom Moran in a Sunday column arguing passionately for legalization. Joseph Rudy Rullo, a declared Republican candidate for New Jersey governor in 2017, also supports marijuana legalization.
Rullo claimed this morning that ,”420k revenue in the first quarter after recreational marijuana is passed when I’m Governor in 2018 will give new meaning to this day!”
Today many 4/20 supporters celebrate the day with events being held all over the country .
In Toronto, Canadian medical marijuana hub Lift will be out providing tokens for free rides on public transit on 4/20 to promote safe travel to those celebrating the holiday.
HIGH TIMES is hosting a Cannabis Cup in San Bernardino, California, April 21-23, which will include major musical acts like Wu-Tang Clan and A$AP Ferg, vendors, exhibitions, and much more.
The first-ever Bud Drop will countdown to 4:20 on 4/20 at a party in San Francisco. The event is hosted by greenRush, a cannabis delivery marketplace, which was founded by two people with years of previous experience behind New Year’s event promotion.
In New Jersey, the East Coast Cannabis Coalition will be holding a rally at Trenton City Hall (319 East State St.) at 2 p.m. followed by a march (leisurely, we presume) to the State House at 2:30 p.m., with a rally for marijuana legalization there followed by a smoke-out at 4:20 p.m.
Four states now permit the recreational use of marijuana, with certain restrictions, including age: Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, plus Washington, D.C., while other states have removed jail time for possessing of small amounts of marijuana, including New York, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut and Massachusetts. And 23 states permit the use of medical marijuana, including New Jersey.
By Mia De Graaf For Dailymail.com and Associated Press
PUBLISHED: 14:47 EST, 12 January 2017 | UPDATED: 19:09 EST, 12 January 2017
Marijuana does raise the risk of getting schizophrenia and triggers heart attacks, according to the most significant study on the drug’s effects to date.
A federal advisory panel admitted cannabis can almost certainly ease chronic pain, and might help some people sleep.
But it dismisses most of the drug’s other supposedly ‘medical benefits’ as unproven.
Crucially, the researchers concluded there is not enough research to say whether marijuana effectively treats epilepsy – one of the most widely-recognized reasons for cannabis prescriptions.
The report also casts doubt on using cannabis to treat cancers, irritable bowel syndrome, or certain symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, or helping people beat addictions.
By Susan K. Livio | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on August 11, 2016 at 7:28 AM, updated August 11, 2016 at 11:32 AM
TRENTON — The Obama administration will uphold the ban on researching the therapeutic benefits of marijuana, once again rebuffing requests to remove the plant from the list of the drugs, like heroin and cocaine, that are considered to be the most addictive and lacking medicinal value.
On Thursday, the U.S Drug Enforcement Administration will publish a notice in the Federal Register, a compilation of government rules, that will announce its decision to keep marijuana as a “schedule 1” drug, according to the Washington Post.
The decision will no doubt disappoint supporters who had hoped the federal government would finally allow research to determine cannabis’ potential. Half of the states in the nation, including New Jersey, as well as Washington D.C. permit the cultivation and sale of marijuana for medical purposes.
Sen. Nick Scutari is about to try marijuana for the first time. He’s a lawyer, and he swears he’s never done it before. But as the author of a bill that would legalize marijuana sales in New Jersey, he feels a weighty responsibility to investigate. Tom Moran, Star-Ledger Read more
Persistent users likely to be lower paid and have relationship difficulties Research found abusers ended up in a lower social class than their parents Also more prone to be in less skilled, prestigious jobs and to run into debt Study by Californian university followed children from birth up to age of 38
By ALEXANDER ROBERTSON FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 05:17 EST, 2 April 2016 | UPDATED: 11:19 EST, 2 April 2016
International research has revealed that the more cannabis you smoke, the more likely you are to be lower paid and have relationship difficulties.
The study followed children from birth up to the age of 38 and found people who smoked cannabis four or more days a week over many years ended up in a lower social class than their parents.
It also found that regular and persistent users ended up with lower-paying, less skilled and less prestigious jobs than those who were not regular cannabis smokers.
Financial, work-related and relationship difficulties were further experienced by those taking the drug, which worsened as the number of years of regular cannabis use progressed.
Ridgewood NJ, On Thursday, February 4, Ridgewood Police officer Lt. Glenn Ender was screening individuals prior to entering municipal court. Mr. Labeat Cefa placed his personal belonging in a tray prior to passing through a metal detector. Among the personal items placed in the tray was a marijuana cigarette.
Mr. Labeat Cefa, is a 37-year-old Albanian immigrant and graduate from Ridgewood High School., was placed under arrest and issued a summons for possession of marijuana. He was released pending a future court date.
Police Records indicate Labeat has previous arrests, including for marijuana, in Florida, and was awaiting trial on grand larceny charges from this past October out of New York City. Unsure if he was contacted by the Alumni Association.
Marijuana may cause heart problems in young adults By Kerry Sheridan | AFP – 14 hours ago
Young adults who smoke marijuana may be at risk for serious or even fatal heart problems, according to a study by French researchers on Wednesday.
The findings in the Journal of the American Heart Association raises new concerns about the safety of marijuana, just as many parts of the world are relaxing laws on its use and medicinal marijuana is gaining popularity for treating certain health conditions.
The risk of heart complications appeared small in the study, which included nearly 2,000 people who sought medical attention for complications related to marijuana from 2006 to 2010.
Of those, two percent, or 35 people, had heart attacks or circulation problems related to arteries in the brain and limbs.
Of greater concern was the high death rate. One in four of the patients with cardiovascular complications died, said the researchers.
The analysis also found that the percentage of reported cardiovascular complications more than tripled from 2006 to 2010.
“The general public thinks marijuana is harmless, but information revealing the potential health dangers of marijuana use needs to be disseminated to the public, policymakers and healthcare providers,” said lead author Emilie Jouanjus, a medical faculty member at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse in Toulouse, France.
“There is now compelling evidence on the growing risk of marijuana-associated adverse cardiovascular effects, especially in young people,” Jouanjus said.
