Marijuana

Ocean City already has a ban in place, approved unanimously with a City Council vote in April. A city spokesman said dispensaries don't fall in line with "Ocean City's brand as America’s Greatest Family Resort.”

As the Garden State inches closer to an official launch of its adult-use cannabis marketplace, the jury is out on what the move will mean in the way of safety on New Jersey's roads and, in turn, auto insurance rates.

"This does not change the drug-free workplace policies, and employers are not required to allow the use of cannabis in the workplace," said Amy Rudley, a partner with Cooper Levenson in Atlantic City.

Despite receiving approval from two-thirds of voters last November, Cannabis Regulatory Commission chair Dianna Houneou said some officials are holding onto a ‘war on drugs’ mentality, writing bans even before knowing what the regulations will look like.

Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said the mandatory terms were “outdated policy," which was hurting residents and disproportionately affecting young men of color.

Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said New Jersey’s marijuana legalization laws will likely have unintended consequences, including a legitimate concern that police officers will stop enforcing alcohol and pot possession laws for fear of prosecution.

“We need to remember that unlike the federal government, New Jersey doesn’t have an FDA to do its work. And we have to basically be our own,” said committee chairman Assemblyman Joe Danielsen.

As of now, it's uncertain whether New Jersey will begin with sales before neighboring New York, which legalized recreational pot in late March.

A state senator who co-sponsored the first big fix to New Jersey's marijuana legislation is back with another bill that would allow adults to grow their own weed.

Parents, law enforcement, and drug addiction experts all expressed outrage at the ban. The New Jersey Police Benevolent Association called the legislation "treacherous" and warned officers not to get involved in any situation involving marijuana.