Reefer madness in NJ as kids are free to smoke
It’s a good time to be a teenager in New Jersey. After all, teens can now smoke weed and slug beers with abandon, as the police are no longer allowed to do much of anything about it. It’s the truth: With the deal made in the legislative process to legalize marijuana, anyone underage caught with a joint or a beer will get a written warning from the police, and that’s it. The police are not allowed to contact the parents.
There is no grey area here: If a cop sees a 12-year-old waltzing down the street with a beer and a bong, they can issue the child a written warning, but that’s it. It is illegal for the police to then reach out to the parents.
How this insanity happened … well, best I can tell is it went something like this: Gov. Phil Murphy wanted hefty fines for underage marijuana use, there was pushback in the legislature, specifically from minority members, who rightly pointed out this would probably hit kids in cities more than kids in suburban towns, there was a lot of back and forth, and then somehow this happened. First offense, written warning. Second offense, parental notification, third offense, small fines and a referral to community services.
OK. A few things here.
1) This is stupid, and
2) This is so, so, so, so stupid. Listen: I’m as pro-marijuana as can be, but if my 12-year-old was smoking grass and the police saw him … well, it’s 3) so, so, so, so so, so, so, so - stupid that the police then can’t tell me. Who is this helping? (No one. It was a rhetorical.)
Do I think my kids should be fined, jailed, whatever for smoking pot or drinking a beer? No. I don’t. But that doesn’t also mean I want them to be able to do these things without consequence, and the consequence would be me freaking the hell out on them.
Seriously: What parent wouldn’t want to know their kid was smoking or drinking? Even if you’re the worst parent in the world, wouldn’t you still want to know? And really, can you imagine if this bled into other “crimes?” Your kid knocks some kid out … and the police don’t tell you. Your kid steals from Walmart … the police don’t tell you. Your kid chucks a rock through a pizzeria’s window … and the police don’t tell you. It’s absurd.
Even more absurd? That the police are allowed to tell the parents the second time it happens. So, so, so, so, so stupid.
Thankfully, this ridiculousness will probably end, as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are readying legislation to nip this in the bud.
“We are simply going to fix this obviously insane, but purposefully implemented, policy,” said state Sen. Declan O’Scanlon, a Republican.
Meanwhile, state Sen. Vin Gopal, a Democrat, is doing the same thing.
“While New Jersey has made recreational Marijuana legal in the state of New Jersey, it is still illegal for minors to possess or consume it. If a minor is caught with these substances, we want their parents to know about it right away,” Gopal, along with fellow Democrat assembly members Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey, said in a joint statement.
This is obviously madness, and I’m glad cooler heads are getting ready to prevail.
Now when’s the weed shop opening, anyways?