Courtrooms across New Jersey are about to change dramatically. The state’s attorney general just sent a letter instructing prosecutors to freeze all marijuana court cases until September 4. The September deadline isn’t an arbitrary date; it coincides with the New Jersey State Senate’s plan to consider a bill legalizing marijuana for adults. And even though the hold will only impact cases pending in municipal court, it’s a game changer for the tens of thousands of people in New Jersey who face minor marijuana possession charges every year. Just as importantly, the move is a clear signal that New Jersey is heading toward decriminalization, if not legalization more broadly.
New Jersey Attorney General Orders Adjournment For All Municipal Marijuana Cases
When New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy took the reigns from his anti-pot predecessor Chris Christie in January, he vowed to make marijuana reform a top priority on his agenda. So far, Murphy has been focusing on expanding access to the state’s medical cannabis program. Those changes have helped to eliminate some of the restrictions the Christie administration put on the program.
And it was Gov. Murphy who stood beside New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal on Tuesday, when Grewal made the announcement instructing municipal prosecutors to adjourn any marijuana-related cases until September 4—or later.
The temporary stall on all those marijuana cases will give the attorney general time to prepare a new set of directives for county and state prosecutors. And it comes after one Jersey City prosecutor decided to take decriminalizing cannabis into his own hands.
Prosecutors Refuse To Seek Criminal Charges for Cannabis
During the Christie era, New Jersey saw record numbers of marijuana-related arrests and charges. According to NJ Cannabis Insider