Pubdate: Thu, 27 Mar 2014
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA)
Copyright: 2014 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc
Contact:  http://www.philly.com/inquirer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/340
Author: Jan Hefler
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

MORE STATES LOOKING AT RELAXING POT LAWS

With Colorado in Mind, Others Weigh Changes. in N.J., Christie Is Opposed.

Nearly three months after Colorado became the first state to allow 
the recreational use of pot, interest in passing laws to legalize 
marijuana is spreading across the country. Colorado's windfall in tax 
revenues - expected to be beyond $208 million annually - is fanning 
the flame, especially as state officials struggle with budgets and 
limited resources.

New Jersey is among at least 10 East Coast states that are caught up 
in the trend. Two marijuana bills were introduced this month in the 
New Jersey Legislature - with different approaches - though Gov. 
Christie has adamantly opposed the very idea of legalization. New 
Hampshire also has a reluctant governor, while New York's and Rhode 
Island's bills are gathering steam. Maryland is also in play.

Which state, if any, is likely to win the race? And how long could it take?

Evan Nison, executive director of NORML NJ, a chapter of the National 
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, says Rhode Island 
could become the first state in the East, based on the progress it 
has made so far in the legislature. "We have a hurdle with the 
governor and they don't," he said.

'Five years'

Nison predicts New Jersey won't have legal pot sales for "likely five 
years down the road. We're getting more momentum than we've ever had, 
but change is slow," he said. "We're waiting for him to leave," Nison 
said of Christie.

In a town hall in Flemington last week, Christie, a Republican, told 
the crowd that he would not decriminalize or legalize marijuana, 
because it would be "the wrong message to send to children" and young 
adults. Legalization would allow the "state sanctioned use of 
marijuana for people who do not have a legitimate need for it," he 
said, adding he supports marijuana use for medical ailments.

Jay Lassiter, a longtime marijuana legalization activist and a board 
member of Coalition for Medical Marijuana N. J., said it would be 
great if New Jersey could be first because it would give the state 
"an edge and bring a windfall to Atlantic City." He said that the 
novelty would help the "sad little Shore town" recover from its 
economically depressed state and ailing casino business.

'Our goal'

When Colorado dispensaries opened Jan. 1, lines formed and tourism 
dollars and new tax revenues poured into the state coffers. Officials 
say the taxes will go toward education.

Lassiter concedes Christie could effectively block passage of any 
legalization bill in the next few years. "Our goal is not to win 
right now. Our goal is to bring up this long-overdue discussion. We 
lose, we lose, and then we win," the Cherry Hill activist said.

On Monday, New Jersey State Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D., Union) 
announced he was introducing a bill that would allow residents over 
21 to buy up to one ounce of marijuana from a licensed dispensary and 
to grow up to six cannabis plants in a secure, enclosed area. He said 
the measure could generate $100 million annually in tax revenues and 
save the state another $100 million that is expended by treating the 
possession of the drug as a crime.

When asked whether Christie's stance makes the bill a futile 
exercise, he said Christie will not "be governor forever," and that 
it takes years to debate and pass such novel legislation.

As the author of the state's 2010 medical marijuana bill in the 
Senate, Scutari noted that it took five years to get that legislation approved.

New Jersey is one of 20 states that have medical marijuana laws that 
allow patients to purchase limited quantities of the drug with a 
doctor's approval. Delaware is among them, but Pennsylvania is not. 
Bills, however are pending in the Pennsylvania legislature that would 
legalize medical marijuana and that would also relax the penalties 
for possessing small amounts of marijuana.

Would Scutari's legalization bill take as long as the medical 
marijuana bill? "This is a journey of a thousand steps. ... This is 
an educational process," he said, adding that he still has to debate 
the issue with colleagues, collect votes, and iron out differences.

State Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D., Mercer) has introduced a similar 
bill, but it calls for voters to decide. He said that he thinks 
Christie may be less inclined "to stand between the voters" by 
refusing to let them cast a ballot on whether they favor legalization.

Scutari disagrees, saying a ballot initiative would be more difficult 
because the state constitution requires legislative approval and the 
governor's approval before a question can go to the voters.

As a prosecutor in Linden, he said that he has been thinking about 
legalization "a long time," because he has seen how the war on drugs 
is a failed experiment that he says puts people in jail for 
possessing a drug that is no worse than an alcoholic beverage.

Staff writers Andrew Seidman and Amy Worden contributed to this report.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom