New Eagleton poll finds NJ residents support spending cannabis tax revenue on education

More than 1 in 5 New Jerseyans are in favor of spending cannabis tax revenue on education and health care services, according to a poll from the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling.

A news release from Eagleton said the poll focused on this issue due to the recent legalization and decriminalization of cannabis in the state.

The poll also found that 15 percent of those polled said the government should spend revenue on affordable housing, and 13 percent favored transportation and infrastructure spending.

Polling across party lines found that 25 percent of Democrats polled and Independents polled wanted education to be the number one priority for investment, while 21 percent of Republicans polled said the government should prioritize funding the criminal justice system.

Nathan Link, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice at Rutgers—Camden, said the results in the poll are important in discussions surrounding legal cannabis revenue spending.

"What sets this legislation apart from that of the other states that have legalized and decriminalized cannabis are the critical benefits for social and racial justice that arise from implementing a permanent funding structure that potentially targets schools, health and the well-being of people living in New Jersey’s most disadvantaged communities," he said.