Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Sen. Nicholas Scutari is an enthusiastic proponent of the full legalization of recreational marijuana in New Jersey, even more so after a recent fact-finding tour of Colorado, where pot has already been legal for more than two years.
All jokes aside about what Scutari was doing out in Colorado - he says he did not partake - the senator was so inspired by the trip that he says he now plans to restructure an earlier legalization proposal in hopes of sparking more Statehouse interest.
In the short term, of course, there's little point; Gov. Chris Christie will reject any legalization plan, something Scutari, D-Union, concedes. But Christie will be gone by January 2018 at the latest, and maybe sooner if his service to Donald Trump bears fruit. Scutari at least wants to start laying the groundwork and be ready to strike, especially at a time when public support for legalization continues to grow.
But if we're going to have an honest debate about the pros and cons of legalization, we need to be clear that Scutari's motivation, and that of other supportive legislators, is all about the money.
Ignore references to the other suppose benefits of legalization that seem designed to minimize the basic crassness of legalizing a drug just to generate more money for government coffers. Scutari said, for instance, that he was told suicide rates among veterans have dropped in Colorado since pot was legalized. It isn't clear how closely the two facts are related, but even conceding some potential value for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, that's something that could also be achieved by expanding the parameters of eligibility for medicinal marijuana.
Scutari also said he had been told fewer adolescents in Colorado were using pot since legalization, but we don't know the accuracy of that claim or how the numbers are being interpreted.
Meanwhile, Scutari acknowledges the potential revenue boost of hundreds of millions of dollars, asking how any lawmaker could not want that money. Fair enough, but at what price? That's the question New Jerseyans will have to answer for themselves.
The war on pot has certainly been a losing battle, with too many people being jailed for too long for too little reason. Some policy changes are needed there even aside from full legalization. And fears about marijuana as a gateway drug leading to use of harder drugs have always been overblown. Legalization would hardly be a scourge on the New Jersey landscape.
That's Scutari's point, that since all is supposedly well in Colorado, why not here? In other words, we can live with it, so why not cash in? It's essentially the same argument that justifies legal gambling; there's no real societal benefit to it, but people are gambling anyway, so if we can handle the related consequences of legalization, why not?
The debate will rage on, but remember one thing: Legislators banging the drums for legalization are doing it for the money.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Editorial - Follow The Money In Marijuana Debate
Author: Editorial Staff
Contact: 908-243-6601
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Website: MyCentralJersey.com
All jokes aside about what Scutari was doing out in Colorado - he says he did not partake - the senator was so inspired by the trip that he says he now plans to restructure an earlier legalization proposal in hopes of sparking more Statehouse interest.
In the short term, of course, there's little point; Gov. Chris Christie will reject any legalization plan, something Scutari, D-Union, concedes. But Christie will be gone by January 2018 at the latest, and maybe sooner if his service to Donald Trump bears fruit. Scutari at least wants to start laying the groundwork and be ready to strike, especially at a time when public support for legalization continues to grow.
But if we're going to have an honest debate about the pros and cons of legalization, we need to be clear that Scutari's motivation, and that of other supportive legislators, is all about the money.
Ignore references to the other suppose benefits of legalization that seem designed to minimize the basic crassness of legalizing a drug just to generate more money for government coffers. Scutari said, for instance, that he was told suicide rates among veterans have dropped in Colorado since pot was legalized. It isn't clear how closely the two facts are related, but even conceding some potential value for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, that's something that could also be achieved by expanding the parameters of eligibility for medicinal marijuana.
Scutari also said he had been told fewer adolescents in Colorado were using pot since legalization, but we don't know the accuracy of that claim or how the numbers are being interpreted.
Meanwhile, Scutari acknowledges the potential revenue boost of hundreds of millions of dollars, asking how any lawmaker could not want that money. Fair enough, but at what price? That's the question New Jerseyans will have to answer for themselves.
The war on pot has certainly been a losing battle, with too many people being jailed for too long for too little reason. Some policy changes are needed there even aside from full legalization. And fears about marijuana as a gateway drug leading to use of harder drugs have always been overblown. Legalization would hardly be a scourge on the New Jersey landscape.
That's Scutari's point, that since all is supposedly well in Colorado, why not here? In other words, we can live with it, so why not cash in? It's essentially the same argument that justifies legal gambling; there's no real societal benefit to it, but people are gambling anyway, so if we can handle the related consequences of legalization, why not?
The debate will rage on, but remember one thing: Legislators banging the drums for legalization are doing it for the money.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Editorial - Follow The Money In Marijuana Debate
Author: Editorial Staff
Contact: 908-243-6601
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Website: MyCentralJersey.com
