NJ Man Gets Fresh Start After Spending 2 Decades In Jail On Weed Conviction

A New Jersey man who spent more than two decades in prison on a marijuana conviction during the peak of the War on Drugs has finally gotten a fresh start, advocates say.

On Wednesday, the New Jersey governor’s office announced a new wave of pardons and commutations for ex-Garden State inmates, including Steven Kadonsky.

The East Brunswick resident was accused of leading a cannabis growing and selling ring after authorities seized 1,173 pounds of marijuana at a Piscataway warehouse in 1992.

Kadonsky was paroled from state prison in 2020 after serving nearly 26 years of a life sentence. Following his release, he founded Kids Against Covid-19 (KAC-19), a charity that provided food, blankets and clothing to children in distress during the pandemic. Today, the charity is known as KIDZ 2 the Rescue and continues to help children in distress, the governor’s office said.

However, despite his community work, Kadonsky has continued to be punished under a lifetime parole sentence for several charges, which has limited his freedom and career opportunities – until now.

Kadonsky was among several people who received commutations of their parole supervision on Wednesday. It has been a long time coming, advocates say.

Liz Budnitz, lead counsel of the Cannabis Justice Initiative at nonprofit advocacy group Last Prisoner Project, said Murphy’s clemency grant sends a clear message that “redemption and justice” must extend to those impacted by outdated marijuana laws.

“After enduring 22 years in prison for a cannabis offense, Steven emerged determined to uplift others, becoming a vital leader in Newark’s Returning Citizens Support Group,” said Budnitz, who wrote and filed Kadonsky’s clemency petition.

Stephanie Shepard, acting executive director of Last Prisoner Project, agreed.

“No New Jerseyan should continue to be punished for conduct that is now legal in the state,” Shepard said.

“Steven’s story is a powerful reminder that cannabis legalization alone does not address the long and terrible human cost of the failed War on Drugs, and of the need to continue advancing justice and second chances for all who remain incarcerated or under supervision for cannabis offenses,” Shepard added.

• See Related: More Ex-Prison Inmates Pardoned In New Jersey (See Governor's Latest List)

Marijuana-related arrests have plummeted in New Jersey since the state legalized recreational cannabis, recent data shows.

In 2020, the year before New Jersey voters legalized cannabis for adults, the state saw 23,015 weed-related arrests. That was a whopping 61 percent of all drug arrests, according to an analysis from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

The state has since turned over a new leaf, the advocacy group says.

There were 502 marijuana-related arrests in New Jersey in 2024: less than 2 percent of all drug arrests, recent FBI crime data shows.

New Jersey passed a medical marijuana law in 2010, which remained the only legal way for people to consume cannabis in the state for more than a decade.

Voters approved recreational marijuana for adults in November 2020. But it wasn’t legal to fire up the bong until Gov. Phil Murphy signed the official framework into law in February 2021.

New Jersey residents and visitors are only allowed to buy cannabis at a licensed dispensary. Growing marijuana at home is not permitted.

>> Read More: Weed Arrests Have Plunged In NJ Since Voters Legalized Marijuana

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