More than a year into cannabis legalization in New Jersey, people say they’re noticing the smell of cannabis — but most aren’t bothered by it, according to a new poll. The survey also shows that far more people believe driving under the influence of alcohol to be “very dangerous” than say the same about getting behind the wheel after consuming marijuana.
About half of adults in the state report having smelled marijuana from a neighboring house or apartment, according to the poll from Stockton University’s Hughes Center for Public Policy. But more respondents said they think the right to use legal marijuana in one’s own home (31 percent) is more important than the right not to have to smell cannabis being used by a neighbor (16 percent).
Nearly half of participants (46 percent) said they thought the two rights were equally important.
People aren’t smelling cannabis all the time, of course: 14 percent said they smelled it coming from a neighbor often, 15 percent said it happened sometimes and 21 percent said it was rare. Another 49 percent said they never smell neighbors’ cannabis consumption.
Meanwhile 57 percent of New Jersey adults said they’ve smelled marijuana in public places either often (28 percent) or sometimes (29 percent). A third (32 percent) said they smell it rarely in public, while just 9 percent said they never have.
“Not much thought was given to the issue of the smell of marijuana becoming part of the public landscape in New Jersey,” John Froonjian, director of the Hughes Center, said in a Wednesday press release about the survey. “There are hardly any places to legally consume these products, so people are lighting up in parks, at festivals, in parking lots and on the street.”
Of all respondents, 90 percent said they were able to identify the smell of cannabis. And a majority (52 percent) said it doesn’t bother them at all. Another 19 percent said it bothers them “a great deal” while 28 percent said it bothers them somewhat.
While the new survey captures a snapshot of New Jerseyans’ experience since legalization, the report is silent on the degree to which residents smelled or were bothered by cannabis use prior to legalization.
Views on some questions varied considerably based on whether or not a person had consumed cannabis products in the past year. Among people who had, for example, 55 percent felt that the right to use legal marijuana in one’s home outweighed a neighbor’s right to not have to smell it in theirs. Among people who didn’t consume marijuana, just 21 percent felt that way.
Strong majorities of both groups, however—75 percent of cannabis consumers and 91 percent of nonusers—agreed that driving while high is dangerous. And most (52 percent and 81 percent of consumers and nonconsumers, respectively) believe it’s important to have a roadside test to determine a driver’s level of impairment.
The development of a roadside drug test was more important to Republicans, 62 percent of whom said it was very important compared to 42 percent of Democrats and 45 percent of independents.
Of all respondents, 39 percent said they knew somebody who has driven while under the influence of marijuana, and 56 percent said they did not.
Respondents seemed to feel that cannabis presents less of a danger than driving drunk. Fifty-one percent of respondents said driving while high on marijuana is extremely dangerous, while 90 percent said that of drunk driving.
Froonjian said in Stockton’s press release that driving under the influence of any substance “is a bad idea that causes accidents,” adding that responsible users “must avoid driving while high on weed.”
Commissioner Krista Nash, co-chair of the panel’s Public Engagement and Education Committee, said during a press conference on Wednesday that members’ “top priority is the safety, health, and well-being of all New Jerseyans—whether they are cannabis consumers or not.”
The state recently awarded $12 million in grant money to 48 licensed cannabis operators to help them start and expand their businesses, part of an effort to remove barriers to entry to the legal industry, especially among people from communities disproportionately harmed by the drug war.
A grey market or parallel market is the trade of a commodity through distribution channels not authorized by the original manufacturer or trade mark proprietor. Grey market products (grey goods) are products traded outside the authorized channel. The phrases and process helps make it appear more legal than the black market.
In talking with industry notables, there is definitely a push from a minority to slow roll legalization and reframe the black market as a “perfectly ok” option to the average consumer. Both New York and California have huge black or illegal markets. New York’s botched rollout of licenses has made a legal market of about 85 dispensaries and over 2,000 unlicensed ones selling both legal and illicit products to the public. California crushing taxes and non existent enforcement has allowed unauthorized grows to florish. The rumor is these grows have quiet sold to legal producers to make products to help battle the costs.
Most traditional media, data analysts and legitimated investors and executives refer to it as the black market. Having a thriving black market hurts both the legalization process and legal businesses. Colorado and Maine are two examples of states who have done a great job to shrink the illicit market. While immediate short term there could be profits, in the long term, it chokes the growth and mainstreaming of cannabis for both recreational and medical use.
Recently, Pakistan approved the passage of an ordinance that created the Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority (CCRA). This government body is tasked to regulate the cultivation, extraction, refining, manufacturing, and sale of cannabis derivatives for medical and industrial purposes.
UN laws says if country wants to produce, process and conduct sales of cannabis-related products, it must have a federal entity to deal with supply chain and ensure international compliance. The regulatory framework of the CCRA is the organization.
The CCRA specifies the maximum level of THC in the cannabis derivative to be 0.3 percent to avoid the abuse of medicinal products and use them recreationally. With this move, the government plans to crack down on illicit grows in order to bring them into a licensed tax paying business.
She has won Grammys and awards from BET, BillBoard and more while redefining enticing. But does she consume weed?
She burst into the mainstream in 2019 with her third studio album, Cuz I Love You and has been making waves ever since. Resetting standards of how a female music star needs to look and behave, she has been the center of ongoing dissuasions. Through all this, you wonder does Lizzo consume weed to chill and relax. She has attracted legends of fans called Lizzbians, a number of social media trolls and Grammys, BET awards, Billboards Awards and appearance on SLN, Ugly Dolls, Hustlers, and more . She rode another wave of popularity when she featured an original single titled Pink in the Barbie movie.
She started her career in hip hop music. After doing a couple of studio albums, she signed with with Nice Life Recording Company and Atlantic Records releasing Coconut Play.The album spawned the singles Juice and Tempo. The deluxe version of Cuz I Love You topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and became the longest-leading solo song by a female rapper. In 2021, Lizzo released the single Rumors (featuring Cardi B), which debuted in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100. Her fourth studio album, Special (2022), was preceded by its lead single “About Damn Time“, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and made Lizzo the first black female singer since Whitney Houston in 1994 to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.
Like everything in her life it seems, she is unabashed about her use of marijuana. Her Instagram shares she is on a fan consuming and treats it just like drinking wine. She has even been cheeky about her use including wink wink tweets about marijuana suppositories.
Lizzo grew up attending the Church of God in Christ but has since embraced a more open concept where she sings hip hop mixed with soul and blues. Lizzo being so open about herself and weed use is similar to the late Mama Cass, who refined talent, fun and what is like to be a celebrity.