N.J. lawmaker now wants full marijuana legalization
Jan Hefler, Inquirer Staff Writer
TRENTON Citing the success of Colorado's marijuana legalization program, a New Jersey lawmaker said he planned to introduce a bill within the month to legalize recreational marijuana for residents 21 and older.
Sen. Nicholas P. Scutari (D., Linden), a primary sponsor of the state's four-year-old medical marijuana program and a prosecutor in Linden, said he believed this was the first time such a bill would be debated in the New Jersey Legislature.
Colorado became the first state to allow the sale of marijuana for recreational use this month, and Washington state plans to set up legalized marijuana this year. Legalization is expected to inject $208 million into Colorado's economy this year, mostly through taxes that total about 28 percent, according to ArcView Market Research, which studies marijuana markets.
"The benefits of the [legalization] program will be far and wide," Scutari, the Judiciary Committee chairman, predicted during a conference call with reporters Friday. He is calling for a marijuana industry that would be taxed, which he said would generate money for the state that can be used for education, infrastructure, and other needs.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/nj/20140125_Will_pot_be_legalized_in_N_J__.html
