Cannabis in New Jersey

Cannabis in New Jersey is illegal and criminalized for recreational use, but permitted for medical use.

In 2013, New Jersey police made 24,765 arrests for possession of small amounts of marijuana in 2013, the highest in two decades. The number of 2013 arrests was double that in 1993, when the state's population was smaller. The spike in arrest rates was at odds with the national trend, beginning in 2007, that saw a decline in arrests for marijuana possession.

The maximum penalty for simple possession of 50 grams or less of marijuana is six months in jail and a fine. Few first-time offenders serve jail time.

New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform is an advocacy coalition of "religious, civil rights, law enforcement and medical leaders" who support legalization of marijuana in the state.

A report by New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform and New Jersey Policy Perspective, issued in 2016, concluded that if New Jersey legalized marijuana, it could generate about $300 million a year in sales tax revenue for the state. (The report assumed a sales tax of 25% and annual in-state marijuana sales of $1.2 billion.)

Perennial candidate Ed Forchion —known as "NJ Weedman"—has been described by NJ.com as "one of New Jersey's best known marijuana legalization advocates." Since the 1990s, Forchion has agitated for marijuana-law reform in the state. In 2004, Forchion lost a bid to legally change his name to "NJ Weedman" after prosecutors intervened. Forchion has been convicted of violating New Jersey's marijuana laws several times; in 2015, the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, affirmed one of his convictions, rejecting Forchion's contention that the criminalization of marijuana violated his constitutional rights under the state and federal constitutions.

In 2015, Rutgers Eagleton Institute of Politics conducted a public opinion poll of New Jerseyans, asking whether they supported legalizing, taxing, and regulating the use of marijuana. Among respondents, 33% "strongly supported" the idea, 26% "somewhat supported" the idea, 12% "somewhat opposed" the idea, and 27% "strongly opposed" the idea.

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