On Thursday, the New Jersey state legislature amended a bill that will decriminalize possessing up to six ounces of marijuana, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. In a surprise addition, magic mushrooms were also included in this bill to decriminalize marijuana, downgrading the penalty from a third-degree felony to a disorderly conduct offence for possession of up to an ounce.
It was the first time a marijuana decriminalization bill was passed by a ballot measure. The bill, S 2535, follows last week’s legalization of recreational marijuana in New Jersey and three other states. Voters approved ending prohibition of the drug in a constitutional amendment, allowing the possession, sales, and use of cannabis for residents 21 and over.
The Garden State will be the biggest state on the East Coast and the 12th state across the US to legalize weed sales for adult recreation use—joining South Dakota, Montana, and Arizona. Legalization will create a cannabis industry across the state, but legislation and regulations are still a work in progress.
Would you like to see cannabis legalized at the federal level in the U.S.? Let us know in the comments below!