As summer rolls in, more people are out and about, and you might notice the distinct smell of pot wafting through the air. Cannabis, whether you call it weed, pot, dope, grass, herb, or reefer, goes by many names. But before you light up, there are a few things you should know.

Recreational marijuana is legal in New Jersey. But what does that really mean? Can you smoke weed in public?

According to NJ’s Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization (CREAMM) Act, the sale and use of weed and other cannabis products is legal for adults over 21.

However, the law doesn’t give users free range to light up anywhere.

Can you smoke weed in public in New Jersey?

New Jersey’s laws on marijuana say it’s illegal to use weed in public places where smoking is prohibited by the New Jersey Smokefree Air Act (NJ SFAA).

So, restaurants, schools, gyms and libraries are clearly pot-free spots. But where else should you not be smelling someone else’s recreational marijuana?

• Parks and recreational areas such as Liberty State Park, Six Flags Great Adventure, or any public playgrounds.
• Beaches and boardwalks like the Atlantic City Boardwalk, Point Pleasant Beach, or any other beach or boardwalk.
• Schools and educational facilities including Rutgers University, Princeton University, and local public and private schools.
• Public transit stations such as NJ Transit train stations, bus stops, or the Newark Liberty International Airport.
• Office buildings, such as those in downtown Newark or corporate offices in Jersey City.
• Restaurants and bars including The Chart House in Weehawken and The Ashford in Jersey City.
• Event venues like MetLife Stadium, Prudential Center, and any concert or sports venues.
• Public housing facilities managed by entities like the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency.
• Daycare centers such as The Learning Experience or KinderCare locations.
• Shopping malls like the Mall at Short Hills and the Cherry Hill Mall.

And, no, you can’t smoke in your car or while walking in your neighborhood, either.

Bottom line, pot is only legal on private property where the owner allows it — and is allowed to allow it.

Maria Francis is a Pennsylvania-based journalist reporting on trending issues across the Mid-Atlantic region.

A new tool in New Jersey, the NJ AI Assistant, empowers state employees to use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) — while a companion training program ensures they have the skills to do so responsibly.

The state has proven to be a leader in AI governance, establishing an AI task force in October and releasing a policy in November to guide state employees’ AI use. Officials have since launched an AI hub to advance responsible AI development and appointed Beth Simone Noveck to serve as the state’s first chief AI strategist. Noveck has underlined Gov. Phil Murphy’s commitment to train the public workforce on how to safely use AI.

In a similar vein, Oklahoma recently partnered with Google to provide AI training to Oklahomans. But New Jersey’s program, launched Wednesday, is unique in that it specifically targets state government employees. The NJ AI Assistant uses GenAI in what the state deems a secure “sandbox” environment. To ensure its security, the tool is hosted on state infrastructure with heightened security and privacy protections. The tool does not use state data to train the model.

As a key part of this launch, the state has also unveiled a GenAI training course, created in partnership with InnovateUS, to inform employees on how the technology can be used responsibly and in alignment with state policies.

This course was designed with consultation from federal, state, industry and academic leaders as well as the public-sector workforce, to do several things: offer an overview of GenAI, outline best practices, and relay strategies for mitigating bias and other risks.

“Generative AI is evolving in real time, and now our public workforce will be on the forefront of advancing this technology and helping to realize its boundless potential to build a better New Jersey,” Noveck said in a news release.

Through the training — which is free, self-paced and voluntary for employees — participants will get to experience firsthand how GenAI can be used to make public information more accessible using plain language. The NJ AI Assistant tool lets employees safely test use cases that are demonstrated in the training course.

Some departments have already begun using what the state terms GenAI; the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development has worked with the Office of Innovation to use AI for rewriting emails in plain language. This has helped the state respond 35 percent faster. The New Jersey Division of Taxation has also leveraged AI in call analysis, to improve self-service menu options — resulting in a 50 percent increase in the number of calls that were resolved.

The NJ AI Assistant and the training course stem from Murphy’s Executive Order 346, which called for the development of policies that would govern responsible use of AI by the state. The launch of the tool and training, the governor said in the news release, puts New Jersey “on the cusp of a new era of government transformation.”

PHILADELPHIA – Crews in Burlington County, New Jersey are battling a wildfire in Wharton State Forest. 

Officials say the fire is burning in Tabernacle Township near the Batona Campground and Apple Pie Hill. 

The campground has since been evacuated and the Batona Trail was closed between Route 532 and Carranza Road. Local Wharton State Forest roads are also closed in the area. 

Officials say the fire is impacting about 100 acres and is 0% contained. Two structures are also threatened as a result of the fire. 

The public is asked to avoid the area while crews work to contain the fire.