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(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

With a proposed state Senate bill, New Jersey could join the ranks of Colorado and Washington in legalizing marijuana.

According to the legislation, residents over the age of 21 are permitted to be in possession of an ounce of marijuana and can grow up to six marijuana plants.

South Jersey lawmakers displayed ambivalence, however, about voting in favor of the Senate bill, which is sponsored by Sen. Nicholas P. Scutari (D-22).

“I’m open to Sen. Scutari’s idea, but we’ve got to look at what’s going on in other states,” said Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3). “I am not a big believer in re-creating the wheel.”

The legislation is in its infancy and still needs to be referred to a committee, but aims to make marijuana legal, regulate and tax the drug for residents 21 years old and over.

“The drug laws in this country prohibiting the use and possession of marijuana have failed miserably,” Scutari said.

“We have seen billions of dollars spent on enforcement, our streets become increasingly dangerous and the ability of countless people to get a job, go to college or buy a home hindered by criminal records from petty crimes. It is time to update our archaic drug laws and get real about the detrimental effect they are having on our residents’ lives.”

Municipalities will have leeway to enact local laws governing marijuana operations, according to Scutari, and the sale of marijuana will have a set tax rate of 7 percent.

Using the tax money from marijuana sales, the proposed legislation plans on applying 70 percent of the revenue to a Transportation Trust Fund for construction projects. Of the remaining percentage of revenue, 20 percent will go toward a Drug Enforcement Demand Reduction Fund for addiction counseling and 10 percent will go toward programs involving women’s health, family planning, smoking cessation and HIV awareness.

New Jersey will also save millions of dollars, according to Scutari, with fewer arrests and prosecutions involving marijuana use.

Although Sweeney admits to wanting to see how the other states are dealing with legalized marijuana, he does offer praise to Scutari for talking about changing the marijuana laws.

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“He is opening a discussion on this issue and he is positioning New Jersey to act on it in the future,” Sweeney said.

Over in the First Legislative District, Sen. Jeff Van Drew agreed that he would like to see an increase in tax revenue, but describes the legalization of marijuana as a complex issue.

According to Van Drew, he’d rather see a change in how marijuana users are penalized and incarcerated for lesser infractions.

Van Drew currently does not support a bill to legalize marijuana, he explained, but would like to study it more and see what the effects may be.

When asked about the possibility of legalization, Assemblyman Sam Fiocchi (R-1) also said that he would have to find more studies and research.

“We don’t know what the ramifications are of legalizing,” Fiocchi said.

New Jersey has already approved the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act on Jan. 18, 2010, which allows marijuana for medicinal purposes and the opening of dispensaries for the purpose of supplying approved residents.

Egg Harbor Township saw its own medical marijuana dispensary open in September with Compassionate Care Foundation.

According to CEO Bill J. Thomas, the facility has supplied over 1,000 patients since fall 2013.

“The patients are reporting significant reductions in symptoms and improved quality of life,” Thomas said.

Scutari’s proposed legislation will further allow the displaying, purchasing, transporting, growing and processing of the drug and its paraphernalia.

Marijuana cannot be consumed in an open or public manner, though, and not in any way that endangers others.

According to the legislation, driving while under the influence is still not allowed; nor is allowing someone younger than 21 years old to purchase, possess, use, transport, grow or consume marijuana.

The state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control will be renamed, if the bill is approved, to the Division of Alcoholic Beverage and Marijuana Control.

“The prohibition of marijuana has been problematic on a number of levels,” Scutari said. “This is the start of a discussion on creating a common-sense program for regulating marijuana in the state.”

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Contact staff writer Don E. Woods at 856-451-1000, ext. 518 or dwoods@southjerseymedia.com