New Jersey could even be the first state to allow legal retail cannabis sales through its legislature, rather than by a ballot measure. Last year, New Jersey State Senator Nicholas Scutari organized a trip for lawmakers to visit Colorado to tour marijuana dispensaries and meet with public health officials and business owners. Senate President Stephen Sweeney’s takeaway: “This is a game changer for the state. I’m committed to it. We are going to have a new governor in January 2018. As soon as the governor gets situated we are all here and we intend to move quickly on it.” More here.