Bill serves as Chair of Archer’s Government Affairs and Cannabis Groups. Bill is one of the leading advocates and influencers for the cannabis industry, and served as an influential voice in New Jersey’s long battle to end cannabis prohibition. He is also a co-founder of New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform, a group that laid the groundwork for the legalization movement. And he was a leader with the advocacy group, NJ CAN 2020, that spearheaded the November 2020 ballot initiative to legalize cannabis for personal use.
In his Cannabis Law practice, Bill represents clients that are both veterans and new leaders in the medical and adult-use cannabis industries, including retailers, processors, growers and ancillary businesses. Bill provides guidance on marijuana-related business issues, including issues pertaining to strategic planning and transactions, banking and finance, taxation, labor and employment, land use and zoning, real estate, municipal law, and healthcare law.
Bill has a deep knowledge of New Jersey government and strong relationships with political and industry leaders in the state. Prior to joining Archer, Bill served nearly five years as the Executive Director of the New Jersey Assembly Majority Office in Trenton. He was responsible for developing and implementing the Assembly’s policy agenda, and, as top aide to the Speaker, served as lead staff negotiator on all policy matters and as liaison to the Governor’s office, Senate and state departments. He was responsible for daily management of approximately 30 policy research professionals and communications and administrative staff. During his tenure, Bill helped shepherd through numerous pieces of landmark legislation, including pension and health benefits reform.
Prior to taking the Assembly post, Bill served for more than 11 years as Chief of Staff for U.S. Rep. Andrews, a Camden County Democrat. In that position, Bill had responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the Congressman’s policy and public relations agenda, with specialization in economic development, education and defense policy. He was responsible for daily management of approximately 20 policy research professionals and communications and administrative staff in offices in New Jersey and Washington, D.C. Bill also served 11 years as Congressman Andrews’ Campaign Manager.
Bill served as Democratic legal and public relations advisor to the 2011 New Jersey Apportionment Commission, which was tasked with redrawing the lines of the state’s 40 legislative districts following the 2010 census.
In the News
- “NJCBA Comes Out in Full Support of Senator Ruiz’s Legislation to Prohibit the Production or Sale of Delta-8 in New Jersey,” NJ Insider (6/12/23)
- “The Trump Indictment and the 2024 GOP Candidates,” NEWSMAX “Wake Up America Weekend” (6/11/23)
- “NJ legal weed: What we’ve learned, one year after recreational marijuana sales began,” Asbury Park Press (4/21/23)
- “Time to Disband N.J. Commission Regulating Weed,” NJ.com (4/14/23)
- “Cannabis Efforts Make N.J. Model for Others: Caruso Details Changing Minds of Opponents,” NJ Cannabis Insider (6/15/23)
- “New Jersey’s recreational cannabis program has smooth launch despite supply worries,” MJBizDaily (4/26/22)
- “Governor Murphy Marks Historic Opening Day of Adult-Use Recreational Cannabis Sales in New Jersey” (4/25/22)
- “Marijuana Matters,” News12 The Bronx (4/20/22)
- “Scutari’s fortitude delivered a triumph for NJ,” NJ.com (4/12/22)
- “Legal Marijuana Sales Expected to Start Within Weeks in New Jersey,” NY Times (4/11/22)
- “Murphy says cannabis industry will fuel N.J.’s economy as he begins 2nd term,” NJ Cannabis Insider (1/26/22)
- “Some NJ Towns OK’d Marijuana Businesses, Others Said No. The Rest Have Days to Decide,” NJ Spotlight News (8/20/21)
- “NJ Regulators Approve Rules for Recreational Cannabis Market,” FOX5 NY News (8/19/21)
- “Finalizing The Rules For NJ’s Legal Marijuana Industry,” NJ Spotlight News (7/14/21)
- “Get Ready for the Heavy Lift of Standing Up NJ’s Cannabis Industry,” NJ Spotlight News (3/1/21)
- “Let the desperately ill grow their own marijuana,” NJ.com (2/10/21)
- “As NJ marijuana reform slows, racial inequity of enforcement continues, advocates say,” KYW Newsradio (2/10/21)
- “Clock running down for NJ’s troubled marijuana legislation,” NJ Spotlight (1/29/21)
- “High Times: With adult use cannabis now legalized in New Jersey, the economic benefits could be far and wide,” South Jersey Biz (Nov. 2020)
- “Legal weed may help NJ’s budget, but it will take time,” NJ Spotlight (11/10/20)
- “Now that New Jersey voters passed legal weed, what comes next?” KYW Newsradio (11/8/20)
- “NJ weed taxes, revenue for Black communities possible as legalization advances,” Asbury Park Press (11/9/20)
- “NJ marijuana legalization ‘framework’ scheduled for hearings next week,” Asbury Park Press (11/6/20)
- “N.J. Legalized Weed. Now What?” NorthJersey.com (11/3/20)
- “Marijuana Legalization in New Jersey,” NJ101.5 (11/5/20)
- “Every Single NJ County Backed Marijuana. What Happens Next,” (11/4/20)
- “New Jersey approves legal weed for adults in historic marijuana vote,” Philadelphia Inquirer (11/3/20)
- “New Jersey Legalizes Adult-Use Cannabis,” Cannabis Business Times (11/4/20)
- “NJ approves legal marijuana: Live NJ election 2020 results,” NJ101.5 (11/3/20)
- “With little worry about marijuana ballot question passing, top lawmakers busy crafting N.J. law,” NJ.com (11/3/20)
- “What happens if New Jersey legalizes marijuana: Everything you need to know,” Philadelphia Inquirer (10/20/20)
- “NJ CAN 2020 Enlists Help of New Jersey Governor in Campaign’s Efforts to Support State’s Cannabis Referendum,” Cannabis Business Times (10/16/20)
- Garden State: New Jersey Looks to Lead Northeast on Recreational Use,” WeedWeek (10/9/20)
- “Marijuana Legalization,” Chat Box with David Cruz (10/2/20)
- “Cannabis influencers: An optimistic leader on the choppy waters of legalization,” NJ.com (9/15/20)
- “UPDATE: 5 States Voting on Cannabis Legalization This November,” Cannabis Business Times (9/2/20)
- “NJ CAN 2020 Aims to Advance the Social Justice Conversation Ahead of New Jersey’s Cannabis Legalization Vote This Fall: Legalization Watch,” Cannabis Business Times (5/26/20)
- “6 in 10 N.J. voters would vote yes to legalize weed, poll shows,” NJ.com (4/23/20)
- “Which South Jersey Dem Congressional Hopeful Shines on Marijuana Reform? (and who’s *really* bad?),” Insider NJ (2/26/20)
- “Target 2020,” Marijuana Venture (1/27/20)
- “New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania May Coordinate a Unified Adult-Use Legalization Plan,” Cannabis Business Times (10/22/19)
- “New York and New Jersey can highly attribute the legalization of medicinal marijuana to two men,” New York Daily Weed (9/16/19)
- “NJ marijuana legalization: Phil Murphy wants ‘one more shot’ at legal weed in 2019,” Asbury Park Press (8/12/19)
- “Roundtable: Medical Marijuana,” SJ Magazine (8/2/19)
- “New York Lawmakers Push for Social Justice in Cannabis Legalization Efforts,” Cannabis Business Times (3/25/19)