Jersey City Prosecutor Aims to End Pot Prosecutions in N.J.
*By Jacqueline Corba*
The chief prosecutor of Jersey City, N.J., said the state legislature could pass a bill legalizing recreational marijuana before the end of the year.
"If we're able to get a vote soon enough," prosecutor Jake Hudnut told Cheddar on Tuesday, "conceivably there will never be another person prosecuted in New Jersey for simple marijuana possession, and I really think that should be the benchmark."
Hudnut stopped prosecuting marijuana cases on July 19, less than a month after taking office.
About 30,000 people are arrested in marijuana cases each year in New Jersey, which holds the record for the [second highest arrests in the nation behind Wyoming](https://www.nj.com/marijuana/2018/04/new_jersey_arrests_more_people_for_marijuana_than.html).
Hudnut said people of color are three times more likely to be arrested or prosecuted for marijuana possession.
"One of the most troubling parts of my career as a defense attorney was standing next to so many young men of color pleading guilty to marijuana when I knew so many of my white friends were doing the same thing, but they were able to do it without fear of being arrested and prosecuted," said Hudnut, who spent seven years as a defense attorney.
New Jersey's Attorney General Gurbur Grewal briefly stepped in, saying Hudnut [overstepped his authority](https://nj.gov/oag/newsreleases18/AG-Grewal-to-Prosecutors--Municipal-Decriminalization.pdf), but himself formed a working group of 20ーincluding Hudnutーto explore the state's handling of marijuana cases and ultimately paused prosecutions himself.
Hudnut said if a bill could be put in front of the legislature before the AG's [moratorium](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/24/nyregion/nj-marijuana-medical-decriminalization.html) on prosecutions ends, it would effectively end the prohibition on marijuana in New Jersey for the foreseeable future.
For more, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/state-of-weed-prosecution-in-jersey-city).
Cate Luzio, CEO and Founder of Luminary, joins ChedHER to discuss how Luminary is supporting women at all stages of their career journeys, and the upcoming Chase for Business Fellowship to support business owners.
In an effort to fight climate change several corporations have vowed to work to fight climate change by 2030. They say the goal is to reduce carbon emissions by 40% or even close to 100%. However, according to a new study, many of these companies are not actually practicing what they preach. Tom Egger, senior lecturer at Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin, joins Cheddar News to discuss more.
'Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy' dives into over 20 years of the icon himself, Kanye West. The trilogy is described as 'an intimate and revealing portrait of Kanye West's experience, showcasing both his formative days trying to break through and his life today as a global brand and artist.' Cheddar news sat down with directors of the documentary and long-time friends of Kanye, Chike Ozah and Clarence "Coodie" Simmons, to discuss the project.
The Super Bowl is only a few days away, and the game is currently tracking to be the most expensive one ever.
Gametime, a website and app for last-minute tickets, says the average ticket price for the NFL's championship game is $9,502.50, with the most expensive seats costing nearly $38,000. That's a far cry away from the average ticket price of the first-ever Super Bowl in 1967, which was only $12. The average ticket price increased by more than $8,000 in just the past decade. Matt Rados, Senior Operations Manager at Gametime, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
At-home medical labs company Getlabs raised $20 million in a Series A round, led by Emerson Collective and the Minderoo Foundation. Getlabs aims to be the boots-on-the-ground partner to telehealth. The company says more than 70% of medical decisions still require collecting diagnostic tests in person, and that it fills that void by delivering health care directly to their patients' homes. Founder & CEO of Getlabs Kyle Michelson joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Sting has sold his catalog of more than 600 songs for $300 million to Universal Music. The deal gives the label the rights to all of his work, including “Every Breath You Take," as well as all future royalties.
Miller Lite is opening the first branded bar in the metaverse, by way of Decentraland, as a way to advertise during the Super Bowl this year without buying an expensive TV commercial slot. Sofia Colucci, global vice president of Miller Family of Brands, joined Cheddar to talk about the new marketing concept. "We have a lot of great partnerships with NFL teams throughout the year but were shut out of advertising during the Super Bowl game, so this pushes us to think creatively and also think of what feels really relevant right now," Colucci said. "There's no question that there's a lot of excitement with the metaverse, and we wanted to participate but in a way that felt right for Miller Lite."
Kalle Marsal, Chief Operating Officer at PetDx, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how next-generation sequencing technology is being used to detect cancer in pets early.
