A bill recently introduced in New Jersey aims to create a voluntary self-exclusion program for individuals who want to prohibit themselves from purchasing cannabis at licensed dispensaries, NJBiz reports. The program, proposed by State Sen. Vincent Polistina (R), would allow individuals to add or remove themselves from a self-exclusion list, which the Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) would use to ensure those on the list are also excluded from cannabis advertising and promotions.
Polistina explained that the measure is intended to help individuals in recovery from substance abuse avoid relapse by giving them the option to voluntarily prevent access to cannabis. “This would give them the ability to voluntarily get themselves on a list that would prevent them from going into dispensaries,” Polistina said.
Unlike the state’s self-exclusion registry for casinos, the proposed cannabis self-exclusion list does not impose penalties on dispensaries that accidentally sell to someone on the list. Over the past 11 years, New Jersey’s casino self-exclusion list has grown from 1,061 to 29,256 people, and casinos face fines if they allow those on the list to gamble.
The bill is currently being reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
