On 3rd November, the state of New Jersey voted to legalise recreational marijuana. In the hours that followed, according to Google trends, the number of searches of ‘how to roll a joint’ increased by 2,800%. Apparently, the whole of New Jersey was getting ready to smoke their first legal joint.
They’ll have a while to wait though. There has been no legislation made yet on regulation of the drug, which will have to be passed as its own bill when written. It is unclear how long this will take according to Jeff Brown, assistant commissioner for the Office of Medicinal Marijuana at the New Jersey Department of Health. Speaking to The Philadelphia Inquirer, he said:
“How soon will be determined by what the legislation looks like. That has yet to be written by the Legislature.”
The legalisation of marijuana is still a cause for celebration, despite the delayed end result. The amendment allowing residents aged 21 years and over to use weed recreationally was overwhelmingly popular, with 67% of voters supporting it. The benefits of legalisation can be seen in Colorado, where over $1 billion has been raised in tax on weed. We can see why people would want this law passed, both for personal enjoyment and for economic reasons.
There has been a lot of support on social media as well, with users celebrating the new law.
We hope that all the New Jerseyans who searched how to roll a joint on Tuesday night can use the time between now and the bill passing to become expert joint rollers!
