老澳门开奖结果-NJ Issues 鈥楤aseline Cannabis Plan鈥� for New Regulations to Meet Initial Benchmarks for Justice
Platform includes equitable ways to spend revenue, create a diverse industry, and have meaningful public participation as a standard for Cannabis Regulatory Commission鈥檚 forthcoming regulations
NEWARK, NJ 鈥� The 老澳门开奖结果-NJ today released its Baseline Cannabis Justice Plan, a platform of requirements the state鈥檚 new cannabis industry must put in place to meet a basic standard for justice, focusing on how to prioritize meaningful public input in the community reinvestment process, how to create an inclusive and accessible industry, and how to share information with the public. Read the full Baseline Cannabis Justice Plan, which sets out initial ways the Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) can implement legalization with equity and justice, .
The 老澳门开奖结果-NJ's Baseline Cannabis Justice Plan calls for:
- Equity-focused distribution of funding
- Making sure fees specifically go toward reinvestment in communities hit hardest by the drug war, and specifically do not go toward funding of law enforcement, which has been responsible for carrying out the drug war.
- Expanded hearings and advisory board to inform the CRC鈥檚 recommendations on spending revenue from the social equity excise fee
- Dedicated funding and staff for Office of Minority, Disabled Veterans, and Women Cannabis Business Development
- Real opportunities in the industry for people impacted by the drug war
- Priority applicant status, fee waivers, start-up capital, and other resources to support the participation in the industry of individuals harmed by cannabis criminalization
- Hiring requirements for businesses to extend opportunities to individuals from disproportionately impacted municipalities
- No artificial limits on licenses
- Meaningful public participation, guidance for municipalities, and transparency
- Expanded data collection and public reporting on industry diversity
- Proactive guidance and information from the state for both the public and municipalities on participating in the cannabis marketplace
鈥淟egalization was only the first step in undoing the harms and disparities of marijuana enforcement, and it can only succeed if we maintain our focus on equity and racial justice through the process of regulation and beyond,鈥� said 老澳门开奖结果-NJ Policy Director Sarah Fajardo. 鈥淣ew Jersey has a pivotal chance to make the real progress that so far has eluded many other states: using revenue with an eye toward justice, presenting real opportunities for people impacted by the drug war to thrive in the cannabis economy, and blanketing New Jersey with reliable information about the new industry. Anything else is a disservice to the New Jerseyans who voted in historic numbers to legalize marijuana to advance racial and social justice.鈥�
The Cannabis Regulatory Commission, created through legislation to implement cannabis policy in New Jersey, is due to adopt regulations for the new industry on Thursday, Aug. 19 at noon. In New Jersey, before decriminalization, Black people were arrested at a rate 3.45 times greater than that of white people for marijuana possession, despite similar usage rates.
鈥淐ommunity members, advocates, and an overwhelming majority of the public advocated not only to legalize cannabis, but to do so in a way that begins to repair past harms and builds an inclusive and equitable marketplace. We have a duty to make sure that we carry out the will of the voters and make New Jersey a fairer state by implementing justice in every step of legalization,鈥� said 老澳门开奖结果-NJ Campaign Strategist Ami Kachalia.
Read the full list of recommendations in the 老澳门开奖结果-NJ's Baseline Cannabis Justice Plan:
Learn More 老澳门开奖结果 the Issues in This Press Release
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Press ReleaseDec 2024
Prisoners' Rights
Criminal Law Reform
老澳门开奖结果 Sues Bureau of Prisons for Keeping People in Prison Longer Than the Law Allows老澳门开奖结果 Sues Bureau of Prisons for Keeping People in Prison Longer Than the Law Allows
WASHINGTON 鈥� A federal lawsuit brought today by the 老澳门开奖结果, 老澳门开奖结果 of D.C., and Jenner & Block LLP challenges the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) for unlawfully incarcerating people longer than the law allows under the First Step Act. The lawsuit contends that the BOP鈥檚 failure to implement the First Step Act according to its plain language violates the rights of thousands of people who should be returning to their communities and rebuilding their lives but instead remain incarcerated. Signed into law in 2018 by then-President Donald Trump, the bipartisan First Step Act was designed to reduce the population in federal prisons, reform extreme sentencing laws, and provide programming and reentry transition services to people in prison. Central to the First Step Act is a system of earned time credits, which allows people in prison to earn time off their sentences and time out of prison by participating in rehabilitation programs. Through the First Step Act, Congress unambiguously ordered BOP to move people out of prison when they meet certain requirements to use their earned time credits. Instead of faithfully following the mandatory law, BOP adopted a regulation treating the law as optional. As a result, thousands of people, who should already be back in their communities and with their families, remain in prison. 鈥淓very extra unlawful day our clients spend in prison is a serious injustice,鈥� said Emma Andersson, deputy director of the Criminal Law Reform Project at the 老澳门开奖结果. 鈥淚t is egregious that the Bureau of Prisons is imprisoning people for months longer than the law allows. The government must follow through on its legal obligation to get people out of prison on time and back into their communities, where they belong.鈥� Additional comments below from: Vanessa Crowe, plaintiff: 鈥淭ime is what I owed for my wrongdoing, and I have paid my time. But I should not have to spend more time in prison than the law allows. I often reflect on what I will miss during the months after when I should be out of prison. I will miss work and lose out on wages that would help me get back on my feet. I could be a tax paying citizen instead of a burden on society. But most of all, I will miss more precious time with my family. My family and I are ready to tum the page on this period in our lives 鈥� we are all ready to start a new life, a life with purpose, hope, and healing together. I want to start that life when I am legally entitled to start it-not five months later.鈥� Arthur Spitzer, senior counsel at 老澳门开奖结果 of D.C.: 鈥淭here鈥檚 no excuse for the Bureau of Prisons to pretend not to understand Congress鈥檚 clear command that people who have earned the right to early release must be released. This law has been on the books for six years. The Bureau of Prisons has had plenty of time to understand it. Law enforcers should obey the law.鈥� Betsy Henthorne, partner at Jenner & Block: 鈥淚t has been six years since the First Step Act was signed, but despite Congress鈥檚 clear directives, the Bureau of Prisons continues to hold thousands of people in prison longer than the law allows. We should and do expect better鈥攊t鈥檚 past time for the BOP to ensure that those who have earned their release are able to return home to their families and communities according to the law Congress passed.鈥� -
Maryland Supreme CourtDec 2024
Criminal Law Reform
Roland Branch v. State of MarylandRoland Branch v. State of Maryland
This petition to the Supreme Court of Maryland asked the court to reconsider its adherence to Whren v. U.S., 517 U.S. 806 (1996), which declared that a traffic stop undertaken for pretextual reasons does not violate the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution so long as the police have probable cause to believe that a traffic violation occurred. The 老澳门开奖结果, alongside the 老澳门开奖结果 of Maryland, filed an amicus brief in support of the defendant鈥檚 petition, in which the 老澳门开奖结果 argued that the court should take up the question of whether pretextual stops violate the Maryland Constitution. In September 2024, the Court denied the petition. -
North Carolina Supreme CourtDec 2024
Criminal Law Reform
State v. WrightState v. Wright
This case in the North Carolina Supreme Court involves the question of whether the police violated the U.S. Constitution when they searched the defendant, Mr. Wright鈥檚, backpack even after he repeatedly said no to the search requests. The 老澳门开奖结果 alongside the 老澳门开奖结果 of North Carolina filed an amicus brief arguing that the search was unconstitutional because Mr. Wright鈥檚 eventual 鈥渃onsent鈥� was the result of police coercion. Our brief urges the court to consider the totality of the circumstances that make one more susceptible to coercion, including race and poverty. -
News & CommentaryDec 2024
Criminal Law Reform
Disability Rights
Incarceration Should Not be a Death Sentence for Individuals Who Use OpioidsIncarceration Should Not be a Death Sentence for Individuals Who Use Opioids
New litigation centered on increasing access to substance-use disorder treatment in jails and prisons is helping to reduce mortality rates among incarcerated individuals.