NCJ Number
110547
Journal
Criminal Justice Quarterly Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1987) Pages: 149-173
Editor(s)
J DCicco,
J Holl
Date Published
1987
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This document is the official commentary of the New Jersey legislature to the New Jersey Comprehensive Drug Reform Act of 1986, which transfers offenses formerly defined in Title 24 into the New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice and is the first significant and comprehensive revision of the state's drug laws in 16 years.
Abstract
The Act makes clear the legislature's intent to consistently punish drug offenders under the State's criminal code. Some highlights include incorporating controlled substance analogs, also known as designer drugs, into the definition of controlled dangerous substances and creation of several new offenses (e.g., Leader of Narcotic Trafficking Network, patterned after New Jersey's current racketeering laws and making possible the investigation and prosecution of higher eschelon drug distributors). Other new offense categories provide harsh punishment for persons involved in the illegal manufacture of drugs and for adults who use juveniles in drug distribution. Another makes drug distributors and manufacturers strictly liable for deaths resulting from injection, inhalation, or ingestion of the substance. The text of the Act is appended.