New Jersey Legalizes Marijuana, But Growing At Home Is Still A Felony

New Jersey is set to become the only state in the U.S. where adults can legally use, possess, and purchase cannabis while still risking prison for growing marijuana at home—under any circumstances.

On Election Day, more than two-thirds of voters in the state approved a constitutional amendment that legalized cannabis for adults 21 and over in the state.

However, Public Question No. 1 did not establish key rules like possession limits, and did not specify who would be allowed to cultivate and sell commercial cannabis in stores—or how citizens were supposed to access cannabis, at all.

On Monday, so-called “enabling legislation” to do all that passed a state Senate committee.

A full floor vote is expected as soon as this week—and must pass in order for cannabis possession to become legal by January 1, the day Question No. 1 is supposed to take effect.

But what’s notable about the bill, S21, sponsored by state Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney and Sen. Nicholas P. Scutari, is what’s not in it.

Advocates who testified in favor of its passage on Monday noted that the Senate has not released a copy of the bill’s most recent language to the public—putting them in the awkward position of having to speak in favor of something they know only by description. [Read more at Forbes]