New Jersey Appoints Charles Barker to Cannabis Commission

New Jersey’s governor, Phil Murphy, appointed Charles Barker to the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission. Many believe this was pushback from critics like the NAACP who found the five-member commission lacking a black man a disappointment.

Governor Phil Murphy

The governor announced the implementation of the Cannabis Regulatory Commission earlier this year after signing bills that decriminalized marijuana and instituted a legal cannabis industry in New Jersey. The commission will establish and monitor regulations and rules for the state’s cannabis industry. It will oversee the distribution of tax revenue and cannabis licensing. They will also have an instrumental role in overseeing the state’s plan to launch an adult-use recreational cannabis marketplace.

The commission came under fire almost immediately for not having any black men on the panel. The legalization laws for marijuana mandate the commission has to include at least one panelist who is a “state representative of a national organization or State branch of a national organization with a stated mission of studying, advocating, or adjudicating against minority historical oppression, past and present discrimination, unemployment, poverty and income inequality, and other forms of social injustice or inequality.”

The NAACP initially explored legal action after hearing about the commission’s makeup. The organization sent a letter to Murphy’s office seeking background information on the chosen panelists.

NAACP New Jersey State Conference Richard Smith said, “I am sincerely disappointed that the NAACP had to go to such lengths to ensure that the Marijuana Legalization Law was followed and that this commission was reflective of the communities most harmed by this failed war on drugs.”

The organization had submitted its candidate for a seat, NAACP political action chair, Todd Edward.

(Credit: Office of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy)

Barker is a member of the National Action Network and on the staff of U.S. Senator Cory Booker. Barker was Booker’s projects specialist and also served as a constituent advocate. Barker’s experiences include cannabis, criminal justice reform, small and economic business development, consumer advocacy, financial services, and innovation and technology.

Dianna Houenou, chair of the Cannabis Regulatory Commission.

Dianna Houenou is the other black on the commission. She will serve as the chair. Houenou already works with the governor’s office. Her assignment fulfills a requirement for the commission to have at least one member with a history in social injustice.

Besides Houenou and Barker, the other panelists are Krista Nash, a social worker; Maria Del Cid, director of the Department of Health’s Office of Policy and Legislative Services; and Sam Delgado, a former Marine and Verizon executive.

The final seat was originally set aside for William Wallace. Wallace is a manager of health, environmental, and safety issues. And white. Instead of having a seat on the panel, Wallace will instead have a staff role.

About his appointment, Barker said, “For generations, the misguided War on Drugs has devastated entire families and communities. I know this experience first-hand from being unjustly profiled and pulled over, illegally searched, and scolded many times by the police simply for the color of my skin. This is very real for me.”