Constitutional Amendment To Legalize Marijuana | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Results by county
Yes 70–80%
60–70% | ||||||||||||||||||||||
New Jersey Public Question 1, the Constitutional Amendment To Legalize Marijuana, was a measure that appeared on the November 3, 2020 New Jersey general election ballot. Passing with the largest margin of victory of any statewide cannabis legalization ballot measure in US history, Question 1 legalized the possession and recreational use of cannabis; although planned to go into effect January 1, 2021, implementation was delayed until February 22 due to a dispute between the governor and legislature over penalties for underage cannabis users.[1][2] Retail sales are also allowed under the amendment.[3][4]
New Jersey governor Phil Murphy campaigned on legalizing marijuana in the 2017 gubernatorial election. After numerous unsuccessful attempts to implement legalization via the legislature, in 2019, lawmakers voted to put the issue on the November 2020 ballot as a constitutional amendment.[5]
Along with Arizona, Montana and South Dakota, New Jersey is one of four states that legalized recreational marijuana via ballot measures in 2020. New Jersey was the first state to vote on marijuana legalization as a legislative referral rather than a voter-initiated ballot measure; the latter are not permitted under New Jersey law.
- ^ "Jan. 1 deadline rolled back for NJ's legal weed". NJ Spotlight News. December 31, 2020.
- ^ Jaeger, Kyle (November 4, 2020). "New Jersey Voters Approve Marijuana Legalization Referendum".
- ^ "Marijuana decriminalization stalls in N.J. Assembly after lawmakers add magic mushrooms to the bill. Senate moves forward". nj. November 16, 2020.
- ^ "New Jersey governor signs laws to set up marijuana market". Associated Press. February 22, 2021. Archived from the original on February 22, 2021.
- ^ Sutton, Sam. "New Jersey marijuana legalization bill dead; lawmakers will let voters decide". Politico PRO.