Committee Meeting of SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE Senate Bill 3195 “Legalizes possession and personal use of small amounts of marijuana for persons age 21 and over; creates Division of Marijuana Enforcement and licensing structure” LOCATION: Committee Room 4 DATE: June 19, 2017 State House Annex 10:00 a.m. Trenton, New Jersey MEMBERS OF COMMITTEE PRESENT: Senator Nicholas P. Scutari, Chair Senator Nia H. Gill, Vice Chair Senator Raymond J. Lesniak Senator Nellie Pou Senator Paul A. Sarlo Senator Bob Smith Senator Brian P. Stack Senator Christopher “Kip” Bateman Senator Gerald Cardinale Senator Michael J. Doherty Senator Joseph M. Kyrillos Jr. Senator Kevin J. O’Toole ALSO PRESENT: David J. Lorette Fruqan Mouzon Michael R. Molimock Office of Legislative Services Senate Majority Senate Republican Committee Aide Committee Aide Committee Aide Meeting Recorded and Transcribed by The Office of Legislative Services, Public Information Office, Hearing Unit, State House Annex, PO 068, Trenton, New Jersey TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Senator Stephen M. Sweeney District 3 5 David L. Nathan, M.D. Founder and Board President Doctors for Cannabis Regulation (DFCR) 13 Andrew Medvedovsky, M.D. Director New Jersey Alternative Medicine 18 Robert Cressen Private Citizen 19 Kenneth Wolski Executive Director Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey (CMMNJ) 23 Dianna Houenou, Esq. Policy Counsel American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ) 32 Richard Todd Edwards Chair Political Action New Jersey State Conference National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) 36 Ana “Cuqui” Rivera Executive Secretary, and Chair Criminal Justice Reform Committee Latino Action Network New Jersey 42 Christopher Beals, Esq. President and General Counsel Weedmaps, and Vice President New Jersey Cannabis Industry Association 59 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page Michael James Chief Financial Officer Terra Tech Corporation, Inc. 67 Brandon McKoy Policy Analyst New Jersey Policy Perspective 68 George Schidlovsky Executive Director Compassionate Sciences Alternative Treatment Center 70 Jon-Henry “J.H.” Barr, Esq. Secretary New Jersey State Municipal Prosecutors Association 79 Hector Corchado Former Deputy Police Director City of Newark, and Representing New Jersey CannaBusiness Association, Newark 83 Dominick F. Bucci Retired New Jersey State Police, and Member Law Enforcement Action Partnership, and Member New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform (NJUMR) 90 Ricardo Rivera Representing Garden State Cannabis Consumers 110 Chris Goldstein Representing Garden State Cannabis Consumers 112 Roseanne Scotti New Jersey State Director Drug Policy Alliance 118 Justin Escher Alpert, Esq. Private Citizen 130 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page Moira Nelson Director Drug Policy Reform Action Together New Jersey 135 Juan Cartagena, Esq. President and General Counsel LatinoJustice Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDEF) 136 Reverend Charles F. Boyer Pastor Bethel AME Church City of Woodbury, New Jersey, and Founder Salvation and Social Justice 137 Tom Moran Board Member Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey 140 Leo Bridgewater President New Jersey Chapter Minorities for Medical Marijuana, and Chair Minorities Subcommittee New Jersey Cannabis Association 143 Sanjay R. Chaudhari Private Citizen 146 Claire Marsden Private Citizen 155 Cathleen Lewis Chair Coordinating Council AAA Clubs of New Jersey 157 Sheri Rosen, O.D. Private Citizen 160 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page Philip Kirschner, Esq. Private Citizen 163 APPENDIX: Testimony submitted by David L. Nathan, M.D. 1x Testimony submitted by Kenneth Wolski 5x Testimony submitted by Dianna Houenou, Esq. 7x Testimony submitted by Richard Todd Edwards 12x Testimony submitted by Ana “Cuqui” Rivera 18x Testimony, plus attachments submitted by Christopher Beals, Esq. 20x Testimony submitted by Brandon McKoy 51x Testimony, plus attachments submitted by Ricardo Rivera 53x Testimony submitted by Chris Goldstein 57x TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) APPENDIX (continued) Page Testimony submitted by Roseanne Scotti 60x Testimony submitted by Justin Escher Alpert, Esq. 63x Testimony submitted by Moira Nelson 64x Testimony submitted by Juan Cartagena, Esq. 66x Testimony submitted by Reverend Charles F. Boyer 68x Testimony submitted by Tom Moran 70x Testimony submitted by Sanjay R. Chaudhari 72x Testimony submitted by Cathleen Lewis 75x Testimony submitted by Philip Kirschner, Esq. 79x Testimony submitted by Peter Rosenfeld Board Member Coalition for Medical Marijuana, New Jersey (CMMNJ) 80x TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) APPENDIX (continued) Page Testimony submitted by Louis Santiago Executive Director CannaSense Total Wellness 81x Testimony submitted by Satenik Margaryan, Ph.D. Private Citizen 84x Testimony submitted by Reverend Robin Tanner Minister Worship and Outreach Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Summit, New Jersey 86x Testimony submitted by Christina Carrell Private Citizen 87x Testimony submitted by Renee Koubiadis Executive Director Anti-Poverty Network of New Jersey 88x Testimony submitted by Gale Muhammad Founder and President Women Who Never Give Up, Inc. 90x TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) APPENDIX (continued) Page Testimony submitted by Kathy Wright Executive Director New Jersey Parents’ Caucus (NJPC) 92x Testimony submitted by Bonnie Kerness Program Director Prison Watch Program, and Alexandra Goncalves-Pena, Esq. Supervising Attorney Immigrant Rights Program American Friends Service Committee 94x Testimony submitted by Angel M. Perez Executive Director New Jersey Association on Correction 96x Testimony submitted by Daniel L. Lombardo President and CEO Volunteers of America Delaware Valley 98x Testimony submitted by Rabbi Marc Aaron Kline, Esq. Human Relations Advisory Committee Township of Red Bank 100x Testimony submitted by Jo Anne Zito Private Citizen 104x TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) APPENDIX (continued) Page Testimony submitted by Marilou Halvorsen President New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association 108x News Articles Casual Marijuana Use Linked to Brain Abnormalities, and Cannabis Use is Quantitatively Associated with Nucleus Accumbens and Amygdala Abnormalities in Young Adult Recreational Users submitted by Senator Gerald Cardinale 109x E-mail, addressed to Senator Judiciary Committee from Jean Public 122x Statement submitted by George H. White Executive Director New Jersey Press Association 123x pnf: 1-167 SENATOR NICHOLAS P. SCUTARI (Chair): Good morning, and welcome to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Today is Monday, June 19, 2017. May I have a roll call? MR. LORETTE (Committee Aide): Committee roll call. Senator Kyrillos. SENATOR KYRILLOS: Yes. MR. LORETTE: Senator Bateman. SENATOR BATEMAN: Here. MR. LORETTE: Senator Stack. SENATOR STACK: Here. MR. LORETTE: Senator Smith is present, and (indiscernible) the room. Senator Pou is marked in as present. Senator Lesniak. SENATOR LESNIAK: Here. MR. LORETTE: Senator Gill. SENATOR NIA H. GILL (Vice Chair): Here. MR. LORETTE: Chairman Scutari. SENATOR SCUTARI: Here. MR. LORETTE: Chairman, you have a quorum. SENATOR SCUTARI: Thank you. Would you read the singular topic for today? MR. LORETTE: For discussion only, we have Bill S-3195, sponsored by Senator Scutari. It legalizes possession and personal use of 1 small amounts of marijuana for persons age 21 and over; it creates a Division of Marijuana Enforcement and licensing structure. SENATOR SCUTARI: Thank you. And good morning to everyone. As many of know, three years ago I started a conversation in New Jersey about legalizing marijuana. Since that time, six states around the country have moved to legalize cannabis for all uses. Legalization is working in states that have approved it. We saw that firsthand, when I led a bipartisan delegation of legislators travelling out to Colorado last year to examine the state’s marijuana industry. We spent a lot of time, two full days, classroom work, and in-depth personal interviews and touring of facilities out there. And I want to thank, again, the bipartisan group of legislators that came with me; and I want to thank the staff as well, because a lot of work went into that. The majority of Americans in New Jersey support getting rid of the failed marijuana laws that have ruined countless lives. Eight states have now legalized recreational marijuana; I believe New Jersey should do the same, and we should do it while we’re at the forefront of the effort in this region. That will give us the greatest benefits and make us a leader in this industry. It will give us the greatest opportunity for business opportunities; it will also start down the correct path first. And finally, it will create the most amount of jobs if we do it first. The legislation we are hearing today, and the testimony today, would legalize the possession and personal use of small amounts of marijuana for those ages 21 and over. The program would be regulated by a newly established Division of Marijuana Enforcement, under a detailed 2 system of oversight and monitoring laid out within the 63-page, single- spaced Bill. To encourage early participation in and development of marijuana establishments, and to undermine the illegal market, the Bill establishes an escalating tax rate, starting lower at the first year, and going up during the proceeding five years. Bringing marijuana out of the underground market and creating a strictly regulated program is the right thing to do. Saving our street corners and bringing in a regulated market, creating jobs, and