How Lakewood Voted On NJ's Marijuana Question

LAKEWOOD, NJ — Voters across New Jersey on Tuesday told the state Legislature that they want recreational use of marijuana legalized. But how did Ocean County and Lakewood voters feel about that issue?

The legislature had weighed legalizing recreational use by adults 21 and older in 2019, but ultimately decided to let voters weigh in, and they did, voting by a 2-to-1 margin to approve amending the New Jersey Constitution.

Unofficial tallies as of Thursday afternoon show 1,836,058 New Jersey voters — more than 66 percent — said yes to legalizing recreational marijuana use, with 912,387 voting no, according to the Associated Press. Read more: NJ Legalizes Recreational Marijuana, AP Says

Ocean County voters had a similar response: The Ocean County Board of Elections reports 158,953 yes votes cast countywide out of 268,470 responses to the question, or more than 59 percent. There have been 109,517 no votes tallied so far in Ocean County, according to those unofficial counts.

Lakewood voters, however, bucked that trend. Of 23,401 votes in Lakewood on the marijuana question, just 7,308 people voted yes, while 16,093 — 68.77 percent — voted no. There are 53,172 registered voters in Lakewood.

The amendment legalizing recreational marijuana use by adults takes effect on Jan. 1, 2021. But state lawmakers and the Cannabis Regulatory Commission need to hammer out the finer points, such as how much marijuana people could legally possess and whether people will be allowed to grow cannabis at home.

Many experts estimate it would likely take at least a year and possibly longer before the first legal pot in New Jersey would be sold.

The approval of the question does not mean it's legal yet to use marijuana recreationally.

Here's what Attorney General Gurbir Grewal had to say on Wednesday:

"All of the state's criminal laws relating to marijuana continue to apply, until, among other things, the Legislature enacts a law creating that regulatory framework. It is important that residents accurately understand the current situation, so they do not inadvertently engage in criminal conduct relating to marijuana — conduct that may be legal in the future once the Legislature acts, but is not presently legal based on yesterday's vote. While my office will soon issue additional guidance for law enforcement and prosecutors to address this situation, we have reminded them of the broad discretion they already possess in handling low-level marijuana offenses."

Medical marijuana patients remain the only people who can legally smoke cannabis in New Jersey at this time. Read more: NJ Voters Legalize Marijuana; Can You Be Arrested For Smoking?

With reporting by Eric Kiefer

Click here to get Patch email notifications, or get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app. Download here. Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com Follow Brick Patch on Facebook.