State officials reported the first week of legalized marijuana sales got off to a strong start. The state’s 12 participating dispensaries sold cannabis and cannabis products to 12,438 recreational cannabis customers for a total gross sale of nearly $1.9 million, according to the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission. “We expected sales to be substantial and the data shows that the market is effectively serving both adult-use consumers and patients,” said Jeff Brown, executive director of the commission on April 27. On the day before adult-use sales began, the alternative treatment centers (ATC) dispensed 5,400 ounces of medicinal cannabis and cannabis products across New Jersey. In the five days following the beginning of adult-use sales, an additional 7,500 ounces were dispensed to patients. North-JerseyNews.com
Two North Jersey Assembly members have proposed requiring school bus drivers in the state to face more robust drug testing and be barred from driving, at least temporarily, if they test positive. The bill, being offered by Assemblyman Robert Auth (R-39) and Assemblywoman DeAnne DeFuccio (R-39), would mandate those drivers be tested randomly twice a year for “alcohol, narcotics, or habit-producing drugs.” Anyone who tests positive or refuses to be tested would be deemed “immediately ineligible” to drive. News12 New Jersey
The New Jersey Poison Control Center assisted in the medical treatment of more than 150 children who were exposed to cannabis edibles like gummies or cookies in 2021. “We’re on track to do the same and more for 2022,” said Diane Calello, executive and medical director of the center. NJ1015.com
President Joe Biden sent Congress a $33 billion request to fund more weapons and provide longer-term economic assistance for Ukraine. The proposal includes $20.4 billion in military and security aid as the $13.6 billion in funding that Congress had initially provided to Ukraine to help cover the first two months of the war was nearly depleted and that far more was needed, describing the conflict as being at a pivotal point. The Wall Street Journal
Britain’s military will deploy 8,000 soldiers to Europe to join tens of thousands of troops from NATO countries in exercises meant to deter further Russian aggression. The move comes after Russia struck Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, on April 28 after weeks of peace in the city, and hours after talks between President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and the United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, ended. The New York Times
The U.S. would confiscate and sell million-dollar assets belonging to Russian companies and oligarchs and use that money to help Ukraine under legislation sponsored by Rep. Tom Malinowski that passed the House April 27. The bill, which passed, 417-8, would target villas, yachts, airplanes and other property valued at more than $2 million and now owned by oligarchs and companies under U.S. sanctions for their support of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “It is hard to imagine giving Russia’s wealth back to Putin while Ukraine lies in ruin and Ukrainians are burying their dead,” said Malinowski. “Under these extraordinary circumstances, the international community should be prepared to use Russia’s frozen assets to rebuild the country Russia is destroying.” NJ.com
State Senate Republicans announced a “Three Rs” plan to “Repeal, Replace, and Restore” to adjust children’s curriculum in regards to new sexual education standards, and diversity and inclusion lesson requirements as part of the Give it Back campaign. Oroho noted Republican State Senators had spoken with parents and teachers who shared their concerns about the new learning standards first adopted in June 2020, calling some of the educational plans age-inappropriate and extreme. “Our solution to the inaction of New Jersey Democrats is the ‘Three Rs’ plan to repeal, replace, and restore. Republicans want to give parents the voice in education they deserve,” said State Senate Minority Leader Steven Oroho (R-24). North-JerseyNews.com
The head of the state Department of Education strongly defended New Jersey’s sex education standards during budget hearing April 28, with a rebuttal to comments that they encroach on parental freedoms. New Jersey Department of Education Acting Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan said sex education material that was “deemed salacious is not affiliated with the Department of Education” and school district leaders “have the experience and the expertise to navigate this without the weaponizing of third-party information being put upon the state as if it is our message, when it is not.” The Record
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says in a new report it received its highest ever number of civil rights complaints in 2021, including 104 complaints of incidents against Muslims in New Jersey. The New Jersey complaints of incidents—39% discrimination; 21% involved law enforcement; and 13.5% involved hate and bias—marked an 11.5% increase from in 2020 and a 20% received in 2019. “Every issue requires a unique response, whether it’s in Ridgefield or in the (State Sen. Edward Durr’s) case,” CAIR-New Jersey Executive Director Selaedin Maksut said in the report. “It’s making lives better for more than just Muslims in New Jersey. It’s making New Jersey better.” North-JerseyNews.com
New Jersey’s law enforcement officers are overwhelmingly White and Male, according to new data from the Attorney General’s office. While the 2020 U.S. census found just 52% of New Jersey’s population was non-Hispanic white, the state’s dashboard shows that almost 70% of police officers statewide were White. The percentage of officers who were Hispanic, Black or Asian, meanwhile, was less than those groups’ share of the state population. Almost 15% of law enforcement agencies statewide, or 78 in total, had no officers of color. NJ Spotlight News
The Food and Drug Administration on announced a plan to ban sales of menthol-flavored cigarettes in the United States. The ban would most likely have the deepest impact on Black smokers, nearly 85% of whom use menthol cigarettes, compared with 29% of White smokers, according to a government survey. If effective in reducing smoking, the ban could significantly diminish the burden of chronic disease and limit the number of lives cut short by one of the most hazardous legal products available. The New York Times
Port Authority officials reported revenues were higher than projected in the first quarter but not enough to offset the $3 billion revenue loss incurred from the pandemic. The PA moved 150% more cargo than it did in the first quarter of 2019, bridge and tunnel traffic approached 2019 levels and air travel was only 6% off 2019 numbers after seeing high passenger volumes during the Easter/Passover weekend and during the normally busy spring break period. Only ridership on the PATH rail system lagged at 34% of pre-pandemic levels, which officials attributed to the slow return of workers to offices and the continuation of hybrid work schedules. NJ.com
Congressional Democrats will push legislation to allow the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to go after oil companies that engage in gas price gouging in times of crisis. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), who is drafting the legislation to allow the FTC and attorneys general to use civil penalty authorities against oil companies for gouging their customers, said the oil executives that testified before a panel on the House Energy and Commerce Committee argued that they had no control over the prices of gas because those were set by the retailers, which are typically independent. “That’s simply garbage,” Pallone said. “Because the reality is they set the wholesale price and that’s what the retailers buy in order to sell gas at the pump. What we’re saying today is that we’re tired of the corporate greed.” New Jersey Monitor
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority will require businesses claiming tax incentives to bring people back into the office at least part time starting this Summer, ending two years of leniency adopted during the coronavirus pandemic. Almost 800 businesses have taken part in one of the state incentive programs that would be bound by the in-person work policy, including employers in Paterson, Mahwah, Morristown, Morris Plains, Clifton, Paramus and Englewood Cliffs. The Daily Record
Bergen County circumvented public bidding laws when it awarded an $80 million contract to renovate the county’s historic courthouse through a no-bid contract, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled April 28. The legal fight began more than a year ago after Dobco filed a lawsuit in Bergen, claiming that the county used their improvement authorities to get around New Jersey’s Local Public Contracts Law, which requires public bidding for projects that utilize public funding. NJ.com
The head of the Princeton Gerrymandering Project allegedly manipulated data used in to redraw Congressional Districts this year to match his personal agenda, according to three unnamed individuals. Princeton University has launched an internal investigation of Sam Wang, the head of the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, after members of his staff alleged data manipulation as well as mistreating people who worked for him. “He’d fudge the numbers to get his way,” said one individual. “He had an agenda. He was good at hiding it when he had to, but it was clear Sam wanted Democrats to win and he was willing to cheat to make that happen.” New Jersey Globe
And finally…The Giants and Jets both received praise for their first round draft picks last night. NJ.com
