TRENTON – Senate President Nick Scutari, the prime author of both the medical marijuana and adult-use cannabis laws, issued the following statement on the first day of sales of recreational marijuana in New Jersey:
“This is a milestone that marks real progress in creating a new cannabis industry that creates jobs, generates economic activity and offers opportunities to the communities that were hurt the most by the failed policy that criminalized marijuana.
“By replacing the past drug laws with a regulated system for adult-use cannabis we are ending an era that wasted criminal justice resources, damaged the economic wellbeing of communities and destroyed lives.
“I hope to see more progress in the expansion of the cannabis market so that New Jersey continues to be a leader with the most significant social justice reforms of our time.”