Legal Marijuana In NJ: What It Means For NYC

NEW YORK CITY — The Garden State officially made use of marijuana by adults legal Monday as New Jersey's governor signed three bills into law.

They ratified what an overwhelming majority of New Jersey residents voted for in a November ballot measure asking if cannabis should be legal for people 21 and over.

Monday's move poses many questions for 420-friendly New Yorkers and opponents to legal weed use— such as whether out-of-state residents will be able to purchase legal weed and what happens if they bring it over the Hudson.

The main side effect of legal weed in New Jersey could be a similar move in New York. Mayor Bill de Blasio has already offered New Jersey his “congratulations” on the approval

“Here’s an opportunity to do the right thing,” he said in November of New York legalizing it.

"As of this moment, New Jersey's indefensible marijuana laws — which permanently stain the records of many residents and short-circuited their futures, and which disproportionately hurt communities of color — are no more," said New Jersey governor Phil Murphy as he signed the bills Monday.

"In their place are laws that will usher in a new industry based on equity and will reinvest dollars into communities."

It wasn't immediately clear when marijuana will be sold in stores. Murphy acknowledged that a commission will help address that issue, and it could take six months to a year.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has promised to legalize weed in New York but so far those high hopes haven’t materialized.

Until then, cannabis is decriminalized in New York under a 2019 law that makes possession of up to two ounces of cannabis a violation that comes with a fine instead of a misdemeanor that carries possible jail time.

The scent of marijuana is common on the city’s streets, as any New Yorker can attest. NYPD officers are less likely to bust tokers now than in the past, but it remains illegal.

It also remains to be seen how New York authorities will react to a potential influx of New Jersey-legal weed coming through the bridges and tunnels into the city.

So even if New Jersey dispensaries open their doors to New Yorkers, it’s best for NY users to remain a little paranoid.