NJ Bill To Decriminalize Marijuana, Reduce Penalties On Magic Mushrooms Advances

A New Jersey legislative committee voted on Thursday to advance a bill that would decriminalize the possession of marijuana and reduce the penalties for possessing small amounts of psilocybin mushrooms. The move by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee comes only days after New Jersey voters approved a constitutional amendment to legalize cannabis for adults and create a regulated market for recreational marijuana sales in the state.

The bill, S. 2535, which was originally introduced earlier this year, would remove all criminal penalties for the possession of up to six ounces of marijuana. Chris Goldstein, a South Jersey spokesman for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), said that approximately 100 people are arrested for marijuana possession in the Garden State every day.

“Justice for marijuana doesn’t start until arrests stop,” Goldstein said. “And the constitutional amendment to legalize cannabis doesn’t do that, but this bill could.”