I have the solution to the marijuana stalemate in NJ
You’ll be forgiven if this has escaped your notice, whatwith “global pandemic raging” and “lunatics try to topple the government” sucking up all the oxygen, but marijuana legalization in New Jersey - something we voted for by a 2-to-1 margin back in November - is still stuck in the hands of our glorious legislature and governor.
What’s the hold up? This one is precious folks, so hold on: Basically, if Gov. Phil Murphy signs the bills on his desk, it would effectively, in the words of one Murphy staffer according to Politico.com, “make New Jersey the only state to legalize marijuana for minors.”
Why? Because one of the bills eliminated any penalties for people caught with marijuana who are under 21. Murphy said he wanted a “clean up” bill that would fine people under 21 who were caught with marijuana.
The problem? The legislature - specifically legislators in predominantly African-American locales, as well as the author of the legislation - were like, “nope, not gonna happen.”
Their concern? That by legalizing weed for people over 21, but keeping it illegal for those under 21, it would end up leading to more African-American kids getting busted for pot, which would lead to more police stopping African-American kids and searching them for pot, which would lead to exactly the same problems we have now in New Jersey, where AfricanAmericans are busted for weed at three times the rate of white people, despite white people smoking at the same rate, and despite some marijuanasmoking white people deciding they should sport dreadlocks, which you ask me should be an arrestable offense, period.
That’s the sum up, basically.
And now, we’re stuck. The legislation is stalled, which is probably cause for an insurrection (too soon?) being that We, The People voted for marijuana to be legalized, and the legislature can’t get out of its own way, and - kind of important here - New Jerseyans are still being arrested for marijuana.
OK. So what’s the solution?
Glad you asked. The solution is to give kids caught with marijuana community service, specifically in drug addiction centers, outpatient clinics, what have you.
Why? Because with marijuana becoming legal it’s incumbent upon us adults to explain to kids that there’s a booming difference between ripping a few bong hits and sticking a needle in your arm.
Listen: I grew up in the “Just Say No” era, the “this is your brain on drugs” era. Marijuana was lumped in with everything else. It is pure dumb luck I’m alive right now, because I first smoked the evil marijuana when I was a junior in high school, and it made me … well, happy, hungry, and just a little dumb for about an hour. It didn’t result in me failing out of school, becoming a switchblade bandit, or anything of the sort. It just made me happy, hungry, and a little dumb. For an hour. Maybe 90 minutes.
And I will tell you this: If pills were a thing back then, and if someone said, “here take these,” I would’ve taken them. Why? Because I was told repeatedly how marijuana would be the end of my life, and it most certainly was not. And thank goodness heroin wasn’t a thing either, because I might’ve tried that in some form as well.
So while I think it’s a great thing we did in legalizing marijuana, I also don’t think we can just let it go at that. We need to impress upon our children that while marijuana will not ruin your life - it won’t, for the record - actual, honest-togoodness drugs can and will.
I’ve already had these discussions with my 11-year-old. I’ve explained to him the dangers of alcohol, the limited dangers of marijuana, and the deathly dangers of all the hard drugs.
So yeah. Penalties for kids caught with weed? Send them to a rehab clinic to see what real drugs do to people. No fines, no worries about racial profiling, just good old-fashioned scare tactics. You want to smoke weed, Junior? Go ahead. But don’t think all mindaltering substances play on the same field.
Jeff Edelstein is a columnist for The Trentonian. He can be reached at jedelstein@trentonian.com, facebook.com/ jeffreyedelstein and @ jeffedelstein on Twitter.