New Jersey Lawmakers Consider Criminalizing the Purchase of Unlicensed Cannabis

A proposal aimed at combating unlicensed cannabis sales in New Jersey would
establish new cannabis-related crimes for participating — whether as the
purchaser or the seller — in the illicit industry, the New Jersey Monitor
reports.

The proposal, sponsored by Senate President Nick Scutari (D), who was one
of the primary driving forces for the state’s original adult-use law, would
classify the operation of an unlicensed cannabis retailer as a third-degree
crime and establish a new disorderly persons offense for knowingly
purchasing from such an establishment.

According to the text of S4154, “This bill establishes the crime of selling
or purchasing marijuana from an unlicensed business. Further, the bill
establishes the crime of leader of an illegal marijuana business network.”

“We have a problem where people are opening up brick-and-mortar stores,
small stores, unlicensed to sell these products, and quite frankly, they’re
just selling them and this state is doing nothing about it. We need to do
something more about those brick-and-mortar stores, but we also need to
continue to fight back against drug dealers because those are alive and
well.” — Scutari, in a statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee, via the
New Jersey Monitor

The proposal, however, has been criticized by cannabis advocates for going
backwards on the issue in a state where strict regulations and taxes have
led to highly inflated cannabis prices.

“We don’t need to reinvent the wheel here,” attorney Bill Caruso told the
committee members last week, “and I don’t think we need to go backwards in
recriminalizing particularly consumers.”

Some lawmakers also blamed Attorney General Matt Platkin for failing to
properly enforce the state’s cannabis laws and allowing the unlicensed
industry to flourish.