Legalization gone wrong

Why the Plan to Legalize Marijuana in New Jersey Suddenly Unraveled

The legalization of marijuana has been a hot trend for willing states to follow, but New Jersey has faced backlash over their decision. There were many factors that went into this new idea such as, expunging the previous criminal records for marijuana charges, as well as how to tax the plants themselves. Charges given to people were put on a scale of extremeness, and officials were wary to look into each case specifically, before making that judgment. As questions arose, "Fissures grew over whether it was necessary to expunge criminal records for marijuana-related offenses for those found with as much as five pounds of the drug" (Corasaniti, 2019). Five pounds of marijuana would not normally be consumed by an individual on any given day, so it was hard for them to come to terms with the fact that having that much marijuana, was sure to be related to distribution on the streets. These issues were surely going to come up in conversation, but they will have to take more time in handling the people incarcerated, for breaking the previously illegal law. 

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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/27/nyregion/marijuana-legalization-new-jersey.html