How Manchester, Lakehurst Voted On NJ's Marijuana Question

MANCHESTER, NJ — In early 2019, several towns in New Jersey passed ordinances banning the retail sale of recreational marijuana, including some in Ocean County.

Manchester Township was not among them, with officials instead waiting to see what the state legislature would do, as the state weighed a plan to legalize recreational marijuana use by adults 21 and over.

The legislature ultimately decided to let voters weigh in on the matter, and on Tuesday, voters across New Jersey voted by a 2-to-1 margin to approve amending the New Jersey Constitution to legalize recreational marijuana use by adults 21 and older.

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

But how did that play out in Ocean County and Manchester? The results so far have been similar.

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.

In Manchester, the vote has been closer but the yes votes are still leading, 14,387 to 11,083 no votes. There have been 25,470 ballots cast on the question in Manchester, where there are 38,051 registered voters.

In Lakehurst, 693 of the borough's 1,686 registered voters weighed in on the marijuana question, with 505 voting yes, 72.87 percent of the ballots cast in the borough, and 188 voting no.

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

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