In 2020, New Jersey became the 13^th state to legalize cannabis. However, more than 60% of all New Jersey municipalities voted to ban local cannabis-related businesses in their towns, which will likely have important economic and social impacts on NJ local governments. Therefore, it is vital for New Jersey state and local policymakers to understand why some municipalities opted-in and others opted-out of allowing cannabis-related businesses to locate in their jurisdictions.

This research project will investigate different sets of political, socioeconomic, geographic, and fiscal characteristics that affect decisions to allow or ban cannabis-related businesses across New Jersey municipalities, and short-term economic impacts of these decisions. The findings of this project will provide local and state policymakers with important economic and law enforcement insights that may have equity implications across the state.

This past year, NJ became the 13th state to legalize marijuana. The decriminalization of cannabis and potential tax revenue from cannabis sales have great implications for NJ residents.

The purpose of this project is to create a baseline study that examines health, public safety, and education indicators for the state of New Jersey. This study will be useful in future studies that seek to assess the impact of recreational cannabis on New Jersey residents.