Trenton – Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland) issued the following statement expressing his firm commitment to enacting legislation to legalize adult use marijuana and the continuation of social justice reforms: “While we are all disappointed that we did not secure enough votes to ensure legislative approval of the adult use cannabis bill today, we made substantial progress on a plan that would make significant changes in social policy. “Governor Murphy has shown real leadership in driving this issue. He worked with Speaker Coughlin, with me and with the bill’s sponsors and social justice advocates in a shared commitment to change failed drug laws and reform the criminal justice system. “This fight is not over. We need to learn from this experience and continue to move forward. “While this legislation is not advancing today, I remain committed to its passage. The Senate was very close to 21 votes and, with more education and advocacy, I believe we will get this legislation across the finish line.”
*This is a developing story; we will have more to share soon.
What a joke these ppl who are suppose to work for us are.
Mark Zambella the joke is on us when we keep electing those who only represent themselves.
Damn, no new TAX Revenue!
“Social justice”?
Yeah, Right.
How about tax revenue and more borrowing against the projected revenues?
Great News – Shame on Sweeney for raising this when he had known for some time he did not have the votes.
Stacey Churpakovich Collins just used that bull? to get elected and fool the sheep
Its a dam shame that were THE GARDEN STATE and we dont have legalization yet. So many other states got it in lil time. .a bill in NJ for decriminalization should have at least went into effect yesterday. The politicians are the real cons
John Sorrentino Amen! Pot and Illegals is solely what he ran on. So far only the illegals have seen any of his promises
John Sorrentino This will be a dangled carrot for some sheep to vote again in 2020. It had taken them 2+ years to get it this far only to fail…
Stacey Churpakovich Collins no Stacy. The state workers, the unions , especially the teachers union got him elected. But keep drinking the kool aide
Laura Schneider Lange Not a Kool Aid drinker, but you are correct Union Members generally are encouraged to Vote Democratic so that certainly contributed to his election along with the Pro Legalization and Sanctuary State Platform he ran on
We got bigger problems in this state damn it
I need a dealer.. This shit is stupid
Let’s shift our focus to safe injection sites…… Yeah
Brad Chadwick it’s so ridiculous
Only a matter of time. These momos knew it wouldnt be passed. Its progressive tho and they can prolong it but it’s going to happen. NJ is just missing out on all this tax money in the process. Idiots.
Christy Shoffner look at this dumb shit
Jessica Beam What’s dumb?
Let’s let the people decide.Put it out their,on the next ballot.Public referendum. Let the people decide
Jon Brooks even if the people decide.. lawmaker get to write up the bill!
Nathan Conway A referendum will decide if the majority wants legalization. The so called lawmakers,will fall in line
Jon Brooks the majority already wants legalization. This was just a shitty bill. Make a better bill and it will get the votes!
Nathan Conway …The grow your own,6 plants,should be in the bill
let the people decide? Even tho it should be that way the people have no say anymore
If it were put up for a vote our wonderful politicians would have one less thing to bicker about to justify their existence.
This is the oddest NJ political bill ever. The Democrats wrote it and can’t get enough Democrats to vote for it, but also there are Republicans for and against it. Party means nothing on this one.
Neily Hoops, obviously not enough palms have been greased yet
I think it’s ridiculous to not have it be legal. But all the “NO” voters are going home to a stiff drink but that’s allllllllllll good… SMH Hypocrisy at it’s finest…. Bravo ?
Alex Roy unfair generalization don’t you think?
Stacey Churpakovich Collins how do you figure? You mean the no voters being drinkers? I guess you are correct in that aspect
Stacey Churpakovich Collins well , no different then all the folks that are in favor being called , losers , stoners etc !
Laura Schneider Lange exactly…
Let me clarify, “most” no votes are drinkers in some form.
Alex Roy u have the right to move to Colorado and smoke all you want
Alex Roy interesting, I dont drink , or due drugs nor smoke pot, I’m a single parent I work and pay my rent and Bill’s, there’s no money left over for alcohol or anything like that, my children need a parent to be alert at all times, not buzzed!! Thier father was an addict and passed away last year. It’s sad that he couldn’t get help but it is what it is, he started with marijuana and then moved on to stronger crap. For those who need it for TRUE MEDICAL REASONS like chemo, and other diseases they should have it to help them. It’s the ones who just want to get high or mellow out that it should Not be allowed!!
I have to worry about my kids soon to be drivers and hopefully safe. My friend’s wife was killed on her way to work by someone who was high, 5 months later his son passed away because of a overdose, he originally started with marijuana and moved up into stronger drugs.
Think what u want but states who have approved it are wishing they didn’t,
I pray they NEVER PASS IT for the future of our children!!!
I don’t Drink Alcoholic Beverages also Proudly
Taraann Tesoro-Edelman I’m sorry for all the loss you’ve dealt with. We all have our opinions but to blame “marijuana” as being the gateway to harder stuff is a stretch. What about cigarettes? Alchohol? Any mood altering product could be to blame. Again, I’m truly sorry for your loss and I hope for a healthy and happy future for you and your kids?
Alex Roy Marijuana is classified still as a Schedule 1 Drug because of its high potential for abuse
Alex Roy Smokers, pot and cigs, have no clue what they are doing to themselves. Just because it gives you a good feeling does not extend to being healthy. Both cause big changes to the brain. Do the research, its all out there, done by objective medical folks. I am OK with MM for those that have serious, really serious, medical problems and have nothing to lose, but not recreational. After the November elections it will be even harder for this bill to pass, its really all over.
What’s wrong with wanting to be mellow? Lol
Well I guess since it is illegal, nobody in New Jersey will be partaking any time soon.
Dan Staples same principle goes for making “assault rifles” illegal lol
Not surprised at ALL .
Weak. Oh well. Cheaper in the city anyway
Lynn Whitlock NEVER HAPPEN
Dave Wahl yup never ever! Collusion!
Fuck it . Ppl are going to smoke with it legal or not . It would be great if we can go to the store and buy it instead of being sneaky in a dark ally
Great day for nj
NJ government can screw up a wet dream
Murphy wanted votes and he got the job. Now what’s in it for us besides more taxes, more bullshit, etc?!? Nada!
Non smoker/user here … and this is the dumbest shit I have ever seen… if you don’t comprehend the benefits of earths natural medicine then you should read a book… or visit a hospital … besides that the state needed this to try and stop the bleeding… absolute joke… time to put the house on the market.
The members that voted against are the same kids that smoked weed one time and had to call their parents to pick them up
Still going to smoke everyday anyway……
Nick LeCompte
Hope the police catch you
??♀️
Damn it … so
Close
NJ 1 MURPHY 0
Lol
Great job New Jersey Im so happy the vote was turned down
The whole reason this idiot won the election was the legal weed thing, typical politicians, full of empty promises.
Murphy duped all the weed smoking Democrats in voting for him knowing this bill would never pass, lol……
Kevin McHugh bingo. I said it the night he won.
So ridiculous
Barbara Lynn my business insurance company took a temporary breath of relief….they dont have a legal threshold limit when a technician can work on 480 or 575 volts ….dilemma. it’s my only issue.
Not sure when I was even askes??♂️
‘One term Murphy’, sounds good doesn’t it? ? If they pass the assisted suicide bill, perhaps he will avail himself to it. ?
Are you serious
Amber Balo still gonna use it
You guys are a bunch of fucking scumbag Liars you won’t be getting my vote next time you run good luck when New Jersey becomes the Black Market Hub for marijuana
I have my card so it doesn’t matter to me but I’m pissed for all the other people who would benefit
Hasn’t stopped me in the past and it damn sure is not gonna stop me now
Michael Lange stop! Lol
Stop
Trying to pass other bills along with it
To all who support keeping Marijuana illegal- get bent! I suffer severely from Crohn’s Disease, and without medical marijuana I’d be on disability or in a hospital. The fact that one drug actually gives me life back, is a miracle. I’m a father and a husband, and I deserve to be with my family. I have to drive 2 hours to get medicinal marijuana now and pay in all cash like an addict. You losers championing continuing an immoral ban on a plant should be ashamed of yourselves. Go have a drink- the fight isn’t over yet! ?
Ocean County Scanner News ???????????? amen
Ocean County Scanner News recreational marijuana and medical marijuana are two separate things and New Jersey is trying to pass them both under the same bill, along with a huge pot tax. New Jersey needs to stop being greedy and sneaky and just do the right thing for
Once.
Ocean County Scanner News God bless. I am Medical Marijuana user too. I have osteoporosis and am literally missing a disc in my back. My insurance will not cover the surgery I need, so this is how I am able to get through bad days. It works better than addicting opioids too, which my doctors had me on.
It’s not a drug
Ocean County Scanner News Medicinal Marijuana vs Recreational are two completely separate issues. Thank God that MM has given you your life back but what should be strengthened is accessibility to Dispensaries. Champion and get behind those that have a chance of getting a license.
You decided to post this article then tell those who don’t agree with you to get bent ?
How ignorant of you to call everyone that is against Recreational Losers and they drink
Dan Feimer absolutely agree, two separate issues
Well I’m in a lot of pain today, and this is pissing me off that we can’t vote quicker. Murphy is a fraud, and all these assholes in Trenton are criminals. Adult access to marijuana needs to be regulated the same way alcohol is. People need to stop being hypocrites and thinking one is better.
I get that dispensaries need to go in appropriate areas when it’s finally approved. But if a commercial zone permits liquor sales, weed sales should be of equal consideration.
Ocean County Scanner News the state is not ready for recreational marijuana – literally in the 168 Bill was a page that stated they had no way of gauging whether someone is under the influence of MM as there is with a breathalyzer. Which is precisely why most Police Organizations jave said to put a hold on it there are not sufficient guidelines.
Murphy is a fraud he pandered to Illegals and people who wanted legalized Marijuana…and look what he delivered to you…nothing
Two years have gone by and nothing, Sweeney knew this was not going through and to avoid egg on their face they cancelled the vote. They are talking about a potential Ballot November 2020
For right now patients are better served by not relying on the State to legalize this but to get behind strengthening and accessibility of MM. Champion dispensaries closer to wherever you are. As long as they are appropriately placed, have a proven record in the MM Dispensing and Cultivation business get behind them
As a side note Im.sorry you are in pain, but that does not make it ok to call people Losers and infer they are drunks
Ocean County Scanner News take that up with the town. Brick ia never getting it where they had it proposed. Eatontown, Asbury and Red Bank has applications- until scoring is released I can’t speculate as to why they did not get a license
Ocean County Scanner News I agree. The problem is New Jersey is trying to hit a home run with this, instead of just doing what they should do.
Vote these scum OUT of office in November.
Murphy could easily fix this and make it more accessible to people who have a medical need. He’s using it as a political bargaining chip.
Rose Curry 100000% correct, this is and has never been about patients or MM accessibility this is about votes and $$
Ocean County Scanner News Medical and recreational are 2 different things. You already have Medical, so why do you need recreational?
Ocean County Scanner News I guessed it was Crohns or UC based on your description in the first post alone (doubled over in pain/ need to be near a bathroom). I am empathetic to your plight and hope we’ll get to see it legalized so you have easier access to it.
Stacey Churpakovich Collins You fail to see the bigger picture: It’s about access to meds. You get to drive around the corner to the neighborhood pharmacy when you need a prescription. This man has to drive hours and hours to the closest dispensary and has an illness that prevents him from traveling for long periods of time. Didn’t you read anything he wrote? If you don’t want to smoke pot – don’t do it. That’s your choose. But who are you to make that choice for others??? Each to their own. Live and let live, etc. I agree: Get bent.
Dave Meyer Faster, closet and cheaper access. I assume you like the luxury of getting your prescription filled at the neighborhood pharmacy a block away and being able to afford them because they’re generic. Same idea. You don’t get it bc you do t share the struggle. If the government made it difficult for you to get your meds, you would be upset, too.
Leah Faye Im not sure in what portion of my comment you presumed I did not understand what he was saying or that I think the MM program is great.
You know zero about me or if I have any Chronic Medical Conditions
The MM program in NJ is poor, there is terrible accessibility and the cost is too high. There is a huge difference tho between legalization of Recreational and Strengthening of MM program.
Never the less, because I have an opinion different than the person posting does not mean I should be referred to as a loser or drunk…that type of ignorance does not help anyone
Leah Faye where in any of my comments on this posting did you see me post anything that would make you assume that I think the MM Program is great? Never assume…
The NJ MM is a joke for many reasons – like of accessibility, cost, qualifiers…it needs to be revamped.
This Bill make no mistske was written by the Cannabis Industry not for the patients best interest but to fill deep pockets.
We have never met so how do you know if I suffer from any Chronic Medical conditions?
I did read his entire post, but much is lost when people start Juvenile Name Calling…
Stacey Collins…. You protest way to much in regards to a single post…
Stacey Churpakovich Collins Please point out where I resorted to name calling. I did not. And honestly, I don’t give a hoot about your personal heath problems. This had nothing to do with you personally. It had everything to do with easy access to affordable meds.
how many people die everyday from alcoholism,and opioid addiction both completely legal… how many have died from smoking pot?! I see first hand what medical marijuana does for my husband who has a debilitating illness.
Its pathetic people can’t go on with their life without getting high. You must have a boring personality if you need to be high or drunk to have a good time or “relieve tension”.
Reading through these comments there are some dumb motherfukers in here
People are allowed to have a different opinion than us. I mean ever people on our team share differing views on pot. I think if anyone was as severely sick with a real disease like myself and others worse than me, their song would change.
Imagine being doubled-over in excruciating abdominal pain, and having the option of a hospital visit, Oxycodone, or medical marijuana. MMJ is the only option that gives me a regular quality of life that most of you take for granted. Now imagine if your medicine to treat a nasty disease that you had no choice over having was stigmatized based off false information? I’m not even asking for taxpayers to pay for my medication when I have a flare up in a public bathroom and end up on the floor by NO choice of my own? I just want to be able to drive a reasonable distance and purchase legal medicine that makes me a normal human again.
Ocean County Scanner News medicinal marijuana is legal
Annette Crawford Hall
NJ’s program is awful. The only way patients and adults will have safe and convenient access is through an effective legalization for all purposes
Ocean County Scanner News my husband has medicinal but doctor wants 100 dollars every 3 months to renew.
Ocean County Scanner News I have no issue for MM. I agree NJ MM needs a serious overhall and that’s where the effort should be focused. As with most things from the goobermint in NJ, it is just a money maker first, help for those that need it comes last. Too expensive for folks with little to no oversight. There is no valid reason for all purpose legalization and the ongoing medical evidence is against it. Tetrahydrocannabinol is not the good thing folks think it is.
Annette Crawford Hall You have to have an additional license and training b on top of your medical license, CDS license and DEA to prescriber marijuana. The state law is what would mandate the frequency of visits to reassess. Quarterly visits are not unreasonable. Addiction med doctors must see their patients monthly.
If the governor and those that introduced the bill would split the bill in half. Medical for a vote and recreational for a vote. If that would happen medical use would pass.
Agreed!!! Ocean county scanner news!!!
But they passed assistant suicide. Fucking idiots….
Sandi Altomare They did? Here?
Leah Faye https://www.wfla.com/national/nj-approves-bill-allowing-medically-assisted-suicide/1876742346
Leah Faye I just posted the link for you
Safe injection site are ok but pot isn’t. Ok NJ, way to go – again, fucking idiots
Sandi Altomare there are no safe injection sites in NJ
Stacey Churpakovich Collins not yet
Stacey Churpakovich Collins not yet
Why not just de-criminalize it? Anyone who wants to smoke it can with no legal repurcussions and the state of NJ won’t have their hands all over it jacking up the prices. Legalizing it is the wrong move.
Over the last 30 years, psychiatrists, epidemiologists, and other researchers have taken much of the speculation about the dangers associated with marijuana and turned it into real evidence. Yet, during the same period, a clever and well-funded lobbying campaign has been working hard to push public attitudes about marijuana in the opposite direction.
The data clearly show that, when looking at individual behaviors, marijuana use leads to other drug use. As recently as last year, a paper published in the American Journal of Psychiatry showed that people who used cannabis in 2001 were almost three times as likely to use opiates three years later, even after adjusting for other potential risk factors identified in the study.
The fact of the matter is all the real, peer-reviewed research appearing in the leading medical journals shows that marijuana can cause and/or worsen severe mental illness, especially psychosis. The data further shows that teenagers who smoke “pot” regularly are about three times as likely to develop schizophrenia than those who do not smoke it. According to the National Academy of Medicine in 2017, “cannabis use is likely to increase the risk of developing schizophrenia and other psychoses; the higher the use, the greater the risk.”
In the U.S. last year, a federal survey was done which revealed a sharp rise in cases of serious mental illness in young adults, coincidentally, the heaviest users of cannabis. Mental health professionals often don’t want to talk about the link between schizophrenia and crime because they fear it will stigmatize those with the disease. But, not talking about it doesn’t make it go away. In truth, psychosis is a significantly high-risk factor for violence. Multiple medical studies have demonstrated that people with schizophrenia are five times more likely to commit violent crimes than those without the disease and they are twenty times more likely to commit homicide.
Now, there are those who claim the legalization of cannabis use would let law enforcement focus on “real criminals” rather than marijuana smokers and, thereby, somehow reduce violent crime. The first four states to legalize marijuana for recreational use were Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon. Combined, those four states had about 450 murders and just over 30,000 aggravated assaults in 2013. Last year, they had 620 murders and 38, 000 aggravated assaults. This translates into a 37 percent increase in murders and a 25 percent increase for aggravated assaults. By the way, these percentages were far greater than the national average increase even after adjusting for differences in population growth.
Right now, using or not using cannabis is a personal decision. Whether to legalize it is a political issue. But it’s consumption and precise legal status is far less important than making sure we all understand the risks associated with its use. Legalizing this substance without providing the public with the full truth about the scientifically documented risks associated with cannabis use could be considered an act bordering on criminal.
Tom Simms Not certain why you are making a case against it when you work in hospice. I’m certain your patients have access to offset the wasting you see in end stage chronic illnesses.
Not sure I see your leap from hospice to the need for legalizing cannabis. There are many other avenues to pain control which are specific to individual need.
The bill sucked. No home grow I say no.
Sure go buy your porn next to the liquor store but god forbid weed is legal. Can’t stand these oldschool ignorant mindsets.
I don’t want my insurance to go up anymore than it is… recreational marijuana is going to get alot of people fired from their jobs.
In my best Bart Simpson voice, “Haaa ha, no weed tax money for you!”
Leave it NJ to fuck up a wet dream! ??♂️
Erik Tonkovich the best is the lady who disapproved smoking lounges because people will smoke marijuana and drive???????? You mean like a bar ??♂️?♂️
Scott Duff I’d rather people be baked behind the wheel than drink that’s for sure
Erik Tonkovich the way they can tell if they are smacking and driving is if they are driving slow and straight
Unfortunately your in the wrong state. New Jersey can care less about your illness or how much you suffer. If they aren’t making money, they will watch you die.
Maybe we should take an idea that other states have. Testing positive for illegal drug use forfeits any state aid that person may now be enjoying.