The year 2020 was destined to be a banner year for marijuana producers and dispensaries. That is, until COVID-19 reared its ugly head. 

If you’re wondering how COVID-19 is affecting marijuana legislation, you’re not the only one. The reality is that the coronavirus pandemic has, unfortunately, hampered some marijuana legalization efforts in the short term, but it shouldn’t have any long-lasting effects. 

Momentum to legalize adult-use cannabis in New Jersey has existed before, but the matter will rest in voter ballots this election.

According to a new Monmouth University poll, recreational marijuana has majority support in the state.

Six out of 10 New Jersey voters say they will vote ‘yes’ to legalize marijuana this November, but uncertainty remains around regulation and sales.

Momentum to legalize adult-use marijuana in New Jersey has existed before, but the matter will rest in voter ballots this election. According to a new Monmouth University poll, recreational marijuana has majority support in the state.

The results of a New Jersey poll released on Thursday show strong support for a November ballot measure that would legalize the recreational use of cannabis in the state. The Monmouth University Poll found that more than six out of 10 Garden State residents were in favor of the ballot question.

America’s driving down a long stretch of bad road, and it doesn’t look like the exit will be anytime soon.

At least 22,000 people have died from COVID-19 related complications in the U.S. since the onset of the pandemic, and, in the past three weeks, nearly 17 million have lost their jobs and filed for unemployment benefits. By comparison, nearly 3,000 died in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and about 13 million lost their jobs during the Great Depression.

The story of cannabis legalization is, in part, a real estate story, as cannabis business owners buy and rent storefront property, scope out cultivation spaces, and engage with zoning boards. Today, eleven states and Washington, D.C. have legalized adult use cannabis, and a number of efforts to legalize by ballot or by legislature are underway, from New Jersey and New York to Oklahoma. 

New Jersey workers can’t be fired for failing a drug test as a result of using medical marijuana, the state’s highest court ruled on Tuesday.

In a decision that backed an appellate court’s earlier ruling, the New Jersey Supreme Court said that patients approved under the state’s medical marijuana program are indeed protected under the Law Against Discrimination. 

Sale and distribution of flavored vaping products including menthol will soon be considered illegal as Governor Phil Murphy signed several bills into law including Senate Bill 3265 imposing a permanent ban on flavored vaping products.

Retailers and vape shops are required to pull out their products and clear their shelves within ninety (90) days or to pivot any other business aside from the sale of vaping products. The measure would bar menthol and other flavor but permits tobacco flavor. The new law is set to take effect on the 20th of April 2020 across the state.

This year already promises to have plenty of election drama thanks to the presidential race. But in some states -- including some of the biggest in the U.S. -- it also could prove to be a big election for marijuana. 

In other states, leaders are choosing legislative action over the ballot box. It’s setting up what should be an interesting year for cannabis advocates in 2020.

Chief among the states considering legalization are New Jersey and New York. Lawmakers in both states failed to pass legalization in 2019. Voters in New Jersey will take matters into their own hands this November. Meanwhile, New York is looking to partner on the issue with a neighboring state on legalization through legislative action.