Weed delivery and pot lounges could be a reality as N.J. cannabis legalization bill heads for a vote
Before the year ends, a new cultural landscape could take hold in New Jersey if marijuana is legalized for anyone 21 and over.
New dispensaries would spring up around the state — many more than the six that currently exist and that cater only to medical patients.
Cannabis would also be delivered to customers’ doorsteps, similar to an Amazon package, according to the latest legalization bill.
Indoor and outdoor “consumption lounges” would be created, though none would be allowed on college campuses.
Casinos in Atlantic City and hotels could designate 20 percent of their space for guests to use marijuana.
And towns that welcome marijuana businesses could reap financial rewards that come with the potentially multimillion-dollar industry by imposing a tax of up to 3 percent.
It all hinges on whether lawmakers approve a roughly 200-page bill that some say may reach the floor for a historic vote, perhaps as soon as March 25.
“Clearly we have rounded a corner. I feel good about it,” Sen. Nicholas Scutari, the chief architect of the state’s “Cannabis Regulatory and Expungement Aid Modernization Act,” said in an interview Thursday.