The day before Thanksgiving, lawmakers in the state of New Jersey revealed a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana for adults aged 21 and over.
New Jersey has seen a stall on its road to possibly legalizing the drug recreationally, but it is isn’t because there’s a lack of support from Governor Phil Murphy.
Much like previous drafts, the newest proposal calls for legalizing an ounce of marijuana for adults 21 and older but also now has a 12% tax rate on the drug. The previous version had a phased in tax rate that went from 7% to 25%. The new 12% rate also includes the 6.625% sales tax. The proposal will also allow local governments to apply upt o a 2% tax on marijuana.
The proposal additionally calls for a five-person cannabis commission charged with regulating the substance where each member would be full time and receive a $125,000 per year salary, while the chairman would get up to $141,000 annually.
Members of the commission would serve for five-year terms and would be appointed by the governor with the state Senate’s approval.
As part of the proposal, expungements for people that have marijuana related criminal backgrounds would be expedited.
