Nearly a dozen crime-reduction programs across New Jersey are set to share $5.2 million in state dollars from the new cannabis-generated fund, which reinvests in communities most affected by the past criminalization of marijuana.
One program is the Newark Community Street Team, which partners with health care workers to provide various crisis intervention assistance for victims and their families, including counseling, conflict mediation and access to social services.
Najlaa Shareef, director of the program, told NJ Spotlight News that the program’s hospital violence intervention program with University Hospital is much needed. She knows first-hand the impact having lost her son’s father to gun violence.
“A lot of us out here were born and raised in Newark,” she said. “We’re from the community. We have community health care workers that are part of the program. They have suffered from the personal violence, or they were raised in the community.
“So, I feel as though we can be able to give back to the community and help them, because when people come in, we’re meeting them at their bedside and their most vulnerable moment.”
Another program sharing in the funds is Blaze Responsibly, which assists individuals in expunging their past marijuana-related criminal records.
“We’ve done expungements throughout the state of New Jersey, helped over 800 people last year with free legal services, and we also do a lot of free education for the community that’s done through social media and online presence,” said Chirali Patel, founder of Blaze Responsibly.
But while the cannabis industry is providing more opportunities for residents, Patel said there are still some concerns in the industry.
“The reality of not having access to traditional banking and capital is what leads to a lot of issues that we’re seeing right now, because real estate is tight,” said Patel. “When you add the fact that municipalities get to opt in and create their own zones, you’re already restricting the areas where they can operate out of. And then if you don’t have the capital to acquire that real estate, you’re kind of out of luck.”
