In a pivotal ruling, New Jersey’s state appellate court has upheld the compatibility of its recreational marijuana legislation with existing federal marijuana enforcement norms, announcing their decision this Wednesday.
Judge Jack Sabatino, along with a two-judge panel, supported a previous lower court’s decision which had dismissed claims by a faction of Highland Park residents. These residents contended that the borough’s sanctioning of recreational marijuana sales infringed upon federal law, given marijuana’s continued prohibition under federal statutes.
At the heart of this dispute was a local ordinance passed in August 2021, which permitted the operation of cannabis retail shops, consumption venues, and delivery services within Highland Park. The dissenting group argued that this ordinance, along with the broader New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance and Marketplace Modernization Act (CREAMMA), contravened not only the federal Controlled Substances Act but also the New Jersey Municipal Land Use Law among other regulations.
However, Judge Sabatino clarified that the state’s cannabis laws do not breach the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which prevents state laws from conflicting with federal legislation. He referenced the 2021 New Jersey Supreme Court decision in Hager v. M&K Construction, which recognized that the Controlled Substances Act does not preclude the coexistence of state cannabis laws.
The ruling also highlighted that while federal enforcement agencies had been advised to deprioritize prosecutions of state-legal cannabis activities, they retain the discretion to enforce federal marijuana laws more stringently if chosen. Yet, such enforcement would not obstruct the operation of state laws.
Judge Sabatino took note of recent federal developments, including discussions by the Drug Enforcement Administration to potentially downgrade marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance, although this aspect was not directly considered in the court’s decision.
This affirmation of state law over federal challenge is consistent with decisions in other states such as Oklahoma and New Hampshire, where courts have ruled that state cannabis laws were not preempted by federal statutes. Meanwhile, the appellate court has also reversed a prior dismissal of a complaint against the ordinance, ordering a trial court to address the matter within 20 days.
This decision marks a significant confirmation of New Jersey’s progressive stance on cannabis, following the state’s launch of recreational cannabis sales two years ago after a successful 2020 ballot initiative, leading to the opening of over a hundred dispensaries, including in Highland Park.
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