*By Christian Smith* California is often thought of as the vanguard of marijuana legalization and commerce, but a new bill winding its way through the legislature in New Jersey could put the Garden State on the bleeding edge of pot reform. State officials are currently negotiating on a marijuana legalization bill that could be the most forward-thinking in the country, said Jake Hudnut, Chief Prosecutor in Jersey City, NJ. The bill, if signed into law, would mean the immediate release of inmates serving time for non-violent pot crimes. "Jersey City, Newark, and Hoboken ー sort of major stakeholders in New Jersey's landscape for criminal justice issues ー have called on legislators to automatically release anyone in prison right now for marijuana crimes, and to automatically expunge anyone convicted of either possession or distribution," Hudnut said in an interview on Cheddar. "It will, by far, be the most progressive stance that any of the nine states and District of Columbia have taken." Efforts to legalize recreational marijuana have been slow to move along in New Jersey, despite the issue being one of Governor Phil Murphy's key campaign issues. Hudnut said that's because he believes both the Governor's Office and New Jersey State Legislature want to build a coalition the first time around in order make the most impact and serve as a road map for other states. "I have to give Trenton credit. It seems that they want to get it right," Hudnut said. Hudnut added that the two branches of New Jersey government will likely release one bill together and hold hearings on that joint bill. The bill's timeline is still unclear. Hudnut said he believes the bill will be released by the end of September, hearings will be held in October, and that legalization will happen by the end of the year. "Maybe it'll be a green Christmas," Hudnut said. For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/new-jersey-inches-closer-to-legalizing-recreational-marijuana).

Share:
More In Business
Klarna shares jump 30% on Wall Street debut
Swedish buy now, pay later company Klarna is making its highly anticipated public debut on the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday, the latest in a run of high-profile initial public offerings this year. The offering priced at $40 Tuesday, above the forecasted range of $35 to $37 a share, valuing the company at more than $15 billion. The valuation easily makes Klarna one of the biggest IPOs so far in 2025, which has been one of the busier years for companies going public. Other popular IPOs so far this year include the design software company Figma and Circle Internet Group, which issues the USDC stablecoin..
Musk loses crown as world’s richest to software giant Larry Ellison
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison wrested the title of the world’s richest man from longtime holder Elon Musk early Wednesday as stock in his software giant rocketed more than a third in a stunning few minutes of trading. That is according to wealth tracker Bloomberg. A college dropout, the 81-year-old Ellison is now worth $393 billion, Bloomberg says, several billion more than Musk, who had been the world’s richest for four years. The switch in the ranking came after a blockbuster earnings report from Oracle. Forbes still has Musk as the richest, however, valuing his private businesses much higher.
Load More