NJ marijuana legalization: Assembly speaker supports legal weed, wants 'right bill'

Mike Davis | Asbury Park Press

Show Caption Hide Caption NJ marijuana legalization: Who are NJ cops arresting for weed? The most common marijuana suspect is a 19-year-old white man living in Bergen County, according to the FBI's Uniform Criminal Reporting program. Marijuana possession makes up nearly 11 percent of all arrests in New Jersey.

New Jersey legal weed advocates just got a major supporter on their side.

Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, on Friday said he was in favor of making New Jersey the 10th state to legalize marijuana for adult use.

Until recently, Coughlin had been less enthusiastic about the prospects of New Jersey marijuana legalization than Gov. Phil Murphy and Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, both of whom have have called for legalization.

"For folks who don’t want to legalize it, I understand their view. But I would ask, are we satisfied with the status quo," Coughlin said on his regular "Speak to the Speaker" radio segment on WCTC 1450 AM.

"Use of marijuana is still a constant. Three out of five drug arrests are for marijuana. African Americans are three times more likely to get arrested for marijuana," Coughlin said. "We’re trying to address those things and I think, if you got the right bill, we’ll go ahead and try to pass it.”

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A USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey investigation on Wednesday reported that nearly 11 percent of all arrests in New Jersey are for marijuana possession, the highest percentage in the state. Over 32,000 arrests occurred in 2016, according to the FBI's Uniform Criminal Reporting program. Learn who's most likely to be arrested in a video at the top of the page.

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Last week, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal told municipal prosecutors to adjourn all marijuana cases until Sept. 4. In the meantime, he's organized a group of state and local law enforcement, social justice and municipal officials to guide him on how to handle marijuana in the future.

Coughlin called the move a "de facto decriminalization, at least in the short run."

Coughlin on Friday acknowledged that he had met with both supporters and opponents of New Jersey marijuana legalization. One group included representatives from New Jersey Responsible Approaches to Marijuana Policy, which has advocated for decriminalization instead of full marijuana legalization.

At an editorial board meeting with the Asbury Park Press on Tuesday, NJ RAMP policy adviser Ijeoma Opara advocated for New Jersey to decriminalize marijuana and study its effects before turning toward legal weed.

RELATED: NJ RAMP talks dangers of legal weed, calls for decriminalizing marijuana

"We don't support people getting arrested for marijuana use. But with legalization, you're now commercializing marijuana. You're creating new, innovative ways to use marijuana and increasing access to marijuana," NJ RAMP policy adviser Ijeoma Opara said on Tuesday. Watch NJ RAMP's sit-down with the Press in a video below.

NJ marijuana legalization: Opponents push decriminalization At an editorial board meeting with the Asbury Park Press, representatives of NJ RAMP, presented their case for opposing legalization of pot in NJ.

But in his radio segment, Coughlin dismissed decriminalization as a "scheme" that doesn't work.

"It doesn't change the fact that it would still be illegal to sell it but not illegal to possess it, which is kind of an odd conundrum," he said. "Beyond that, I think what it does is allows the bad guys — the bad actors — to have a client base that doesn't have any risk."

His change of heart appeared to come after traveling to Colorado, which began selling legal weed for recreational purposes in 2014. He visited marijuana dispensaries and cannabis growing operations, in addition to meeting with law enforcement, local officials and doctors.

"I recognized that this is a real industry," Coughlin said. "It's not just a couple of guys growing pot in the backyard and selling it out the front door. That’s not at all what it is."

Mike Davis; @byMikeDavis: 732-643-4223; mdavis@gannettnj.com