The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ) has expressed disappointment with the Cannabis Regulatory Commission's decision regarding the social equity excise fee. ACLU-NJ Campaign Strategist Ami Kachalia stated, "We are extremely disappointed that the Cannabis Regulatory Commission has failed to live up to its promise to meaningfully reinvest cannabis revenue into communities targeted by decades of marijuana criminalization."
Kachalia emphasized that New Jersey residents expected legal cannabis laws to include reparative measures. She noted that both legislation and subsequent regulations indicated a need for significant reinvestment, suggesting that the social equity excise fee should be set at a level 12 times higher than what was approved by the Commission.
Before legalization and decriminalization, New Jersey reportedly spent over $143 million annually on enforcing marijuana criminalization. However, according to Kachalia, only $4 million has been raised through the social equity excise fee for community reinvestment in the past two years. She remarked, "the $4 million raised through the SEEF for community reinvestment in the last two years is just a drop in the bucket."
Kachalia concluded by urging New Jersey to do more to ensure that Black and Latinx communities, which were disproportionately affected by previous enforcement policies, benefit from the state's legal cannabis market.
