Anticipation growing for recreational marijuana sales in New Jersey
BLOOMFIELD, N.J. -- Beginning Thursday at 6 a.m., recreational marijuana will officially be sold for the first time in New Jersey.
As anticipation grows sky high, some would-be customers are already stopping by the RISE dispensary in Bloomfield.
"Yeah, I was wondering if they're open for the public," resident Jomey Irizaroy told CBS2's Nick Caloway.
Irizaroy left disappointed he was a day early for recreational sales, but he does plan to come back.
"My mom's not going to like this message, but yeah, I'm a stoner," he said.
Many in the Garden State have been waiting a long time to legally buy weed.
"There've been people for decades literally consuming this product because they know it's been good for them. We believe cannabis is about well-being," said Ben Kovler, with Green Thumb Industries, which operates dispensaries in Bloomfield and Paterson.
RELATED STORY: Poll: 66% of Americans want recreational marijuana legalized on a federal level
"Tomorrow's a historic day. What we're talking about is a step towards repairing the harms of the war on drugs," said Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU New Jersey.
Sinha says the state needs to make sure the cannabis industry is diverse and puts tax revenue towards community reinvestment.
"So that the communities that have been hardest hit by the war on drugs are able to benefit from legalization," he said.
Thirteen state-approved dispensaries are now gearing up to meet the expected high demand.
RELATED STORY: Attorney: Challenge for New Jersey employers will be testing workers for marijuana impairment
Also gearing up is Joe Bayern, CEO of Curaleaf, one of seven companies approved to sell cannabis products in New Jersey. They operate 126 dispensaries in 23 states and grow cannabis at 26 cultivation sites.
"Obviously [cannabis] has been available on the medical side for many years now, but basically the same needs are being met on the recreational side, they're just not being done through legal channels," Bayern told CBS2's Dick Brennan. "So we're very excited about bringing high quality, tested, legal cannabis to the marketplace, 'cause people are consuming cannabis already, they're just not doing it in a safe environment."
Watch Dick Brennan's interview with Curaleaf CEO Joe Bayern
There are concerns about the coming wave of new marijuana users and the potential for higher rates of impaired driving.
Sayreville Police Chief John Zebrowski said kids could also be harmed.
"So our one concern, and we're imploring everyone, is make sure you keep it away from your children," he said.
AAA has partnered with SADD -- Students Against Destructive Driving -- to educate young people on some of the potential risks.
"There's no difference between the under-the-influence of marijuana driving and the under-the-influence of drunk driving. We need to understand that both are just as dangerous," said Lauren Zimmerman Meade, with SADD.
RELATED STORY: Recreational marijuana sales in New Jersey: AAA working with SADD to educate young people on risks of impaired driving
According to New Jersey's Attorney General, off-duty police officers are allowed to consumer cannabis, but the mayors of Jersey City and Bayonne both said Wednesday that officers are banned from doing so.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to visit a dispensary Thursday. It is unclear if he will purchase anything.
New Yorkers, meanwhile, want to know if they buy marijuana in New Jersey, can they bring it back to New York?
"So when you cross state lines, that's called interstate commerce, and that's when the federal government likes to apply its laws," attorney Andrew Lieb told CBS2. "I think you're not going to have a problem whatsoever if you're a purchaser in low quantities of marijuana. I do want to point out, though, that earlier this year, New York went after illegal distributors of marijuana."
Part of the confusion is that there's conflicting federal and state laws covering marijuana, but the feds would only likely intervene when large quantities are being transported.
Connecticut legalized recreational marijuana last summer. The legislation also expunged thousands of past convictions for possession. Licenses for dispensaries have not yet been granted.
For more details on cannabis regulations in New Jersey, visit nj.gov/cannabis/adult-personal/index.shtml.
