TRENTON, N.J. – Democrat dysfunction continued in Trenton on Friday as an effort by Democrats to amend their marijuana package to address Governor Murphy’s concerns fell apart.
The news drew scorn from state Senator Anthony Bucco (R-25) of Morris County.
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“I’ve expressed concerns for a long time that the process to legalize marijuana moved way too quickly and was backwards from the beginning,” said Bucco. “There are extremely complex criminal, regulatory, social, and tax implications that should have been figured out before a question was placed on the ballot.”
“As a result of this flawed process, we are left with an unnecessary rush to enact reasonable regulations after marijuana has become legal under our constitution,” Bucco added. “This placed the Legislature in the position of having to plow through a bill without the time needed to consider the many consequences in a thoughtful manner. We never should be in the position of having to consider a clean-up bill to legislation that hasn’t even been signed into law.”
Murphy wanted a cleanup bill (S3320) to impose civil penalties for underage use. A number of Democrats reportedly objected to the Governor’s demands.
Both chambers have now pulled voted on the cleanup bill.
“Unfortunately, this is yet another example of how my colleagues on the other side of the aisle continually rush forward with amazingly complex legislation that deserves time for thoughtful consideration,” Bucco concluded. “This constant rush to act routinely leads to a legislative process that lacks transparency and flawed legislation that all too often becomes law.”
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