Even before Covid-19, New Jersey faced major challenges, with huge debt weighing down its budget, a sluggish economy, and high property and income taxes driving a continuing exodus from the state. But the pandemic slammed Jersey even harder: the state has the nation’s highest death rate per capita from the virus and faces a Covid-induced budget deficit far larger than that of most states.
Yet somehow, amid these many challenges, Jersey’s leaders have decided that legalizing marijuana—with all the risks and uncertainties that it involves—should be a top policy priority. Supporters are pitching it as a budget booster, a social justice imperative, and even a jobs program for minority communities. Yet few of these benefits have materialized to the extent that supporters claim in states that have already legalized pot, while bad outcomes, from rising crime to a growing black market, are clearly apparent. Worse, health officials have been warning for months about the dangers of smoking—including smoking pot—in a world still dealing with a respiratory-virus pandemic. What can New Jersey’s leaders possibly be thinking?
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