Christine Green
New Member
Sen. Nick Scutari is about to try marijuana for the first time.
He's a lawyer, and he swears he's never done it before. But as the author of a bill that would legalize marijuana sales in New Jersey, he feels a weighty responsibility to investigate.
So he's heading to Colorado, where marijuana has been legal since 2014, on a mission.
"I probably should figure out what it does to you," says Scutari D-Union. "I'm going to do a little reconnaissance."
Let's wish him luck. May he find a good pizza joint to complement his research. And may he succeed in bringing some common sense to New Jersey's hard-line marijuana policies.
Most Americans think it's nuts to put someone in handcuffs for smoking weed, probably because most of them have tried it themselves. The latest Gallup polls shows that 44 percent of Americans admit it. Add in the liars, and you have to figure it's a majority.
Who is most likely to smoke? Men are more likely than women, Democrats more likely than Republicans, and atheists more likely than believers. If you sort it by age, the highest rates are among those between 30 and 64.
So let's look at the New Jersey legislature and do the math: It is packed with men, most of them Democrats, and the bulk of them middle-aged. And believe me, they are a Godless bunch.
"It's a strong majority that have tried it," Scutari says. "A lot of them have told me they smoked."
And yet, so far, Scutari doesn't have a lot of recruits to his cause, at least out in the open.
You can make a dozen rational arguments in favor of marijuana legalization. New Jersey arrests 24,000 people a year for possession, a colossal waste of money and effort that even the state municipal prosecutors association thinks is misguided.
They can wind up with criminal records that bar them from jobs, schools, and even public housing -- unless they spend a boatload of money on a lawyer.
"It's ridiculous," says Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, an attorney who handles many of these cases. "The typical outcome is that you pay a substantial fine and you get a conditional dismissal of charges, so if nothing happens in the next six months, it's dismissed. We get a lot of them, probably three or four a week."
Bramnick (R-Union) is among those who admit that he used to smoke weed, back in the day at Syracuse University. And yes, he says, he inhaled. "Not bad, actually," he says.
Then there's the money. New Jersey could raise $300 million a year by taxing marijuana sales, according to a careful study released last week by New Jersey Policy Perspective and the state branch of the ACLU.
That's not chump change. It could finance a Marshall Plan to build treatment centers across the state for those addicted to more dangerous drugs, like heroin and alcohol.
African-Americans bear the brunt of this bad policy, as with the rest of the drug war. Whites and blacks use marijuana at comparable levels. But blacks are 2.8 times more likely to be arrested on possession charges, according to the ACLU. That's tied to racist behavior, like the stop-and-frisk practice that federal investigators found in Newark.
"When you get stopped and frisked, and they find a joint, you get arrested," says the ACLU's Udi Ofer. "It's the same when they pull you over and search your car. That's what's entangling people in the system."
What do we get for all this? Gov. Chris Christie says marijuana poses a unique danger as a gateway drug for children. But there's no good evidence for that. And shouldn't the same logic apply to alcohol?
One thing is certain: By driving this trade underground, we got a lot of violence. In New Jersey, people spend about $900 million a year on marijuana, a huge pipeline of money, a bonanza for gangs and mobsters. People die fighting over street corners that give them access to it.
"It is the cash cow of the illegal drug trade," Scutari says. "Legalization could get a lot of bad people off the corners. That's the biggest thing. We've got to save our neighborhoods."
And that's why decriminalization is such a weak answer. It means users get off with a small fine, like a traffic ticket. But it leaves the bad guys on their corners.
Here's what really drives me nuts about this debate: The hypocrisy of conservatives like Christie who complain about intrusive government, and then impose their drug of choice on the rest of us.
Their martini is the more dangerous drug. Ask Dr. David Nathan, a Princeton psychiatrist who has studied it. He first noticed this among his own patients.
Alcohol caused more addiction, more violence, and more risky behavior when it comes to having sex or driving cars. Alcohol causes more organ damage as well.
Among children, he says, both drugs present a danger. But for adults, it's not a close call.
"Marijuana is by just about every measure safer," says Nathan. "For my patients, I'm much more concerned about alcohol."
None of this will change until we have a new governor in January 2017. Phil Murphy, the only declared candidate for governor, favors legalization.
Among those who are likely candidates, Sens. Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester) and Ray Lesniak (D-Union), say they would consider it, and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop takes no position.
But you can see the arc of this story. So far, 17 states have decriminalized marijuana possession, and four have legalized sale and possession. New Jersey's day will come.
In the meantime, enjoy your martini at a nice restaurant. But if you're going to smoke weed, stay home and order pizza.
News Moderator: Christine Green 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana or martinis: Should government choose for you? | Moran | NJ.com
Author: Tom Moran
Contact: 888-782-7533
Photo Credit: Patti Sapone
Website: New Jersey Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - NJ.com
He's a lawyer, and he swears he's never done it before. But as the author of a bill that would legalize marijuana sales in New Jersey, he feels a weighty responsibility to investigate.
So he's heading to Colorado, where marijuana has been legal since 2014, on a mission.
"I probably should figure out what it does to you," says Scutari D-Union. "I'm going to do a little reconnaissance."
Let's wish him luck. May he find a good pizza joint to complement his research. And may he succeed in bringing some common sense to New Jersey's hard-line marijuana policies.
Most Americans think it's nuts to put someone in handcuffs for smoking weed, probably because most of them have tried it themselves. The latest Gallup polls shows that 44 percent of Americans admit it. Add in the liars, and you have to figure it's a majority.
Who is most likely to smoke? Men are more likely than women, Democrats more likely than Republicans, and atheists more likely than believers. If you sort it by age, the highest rates are among those between 30 and 64.
So let's look at the New Jersey legislature and do the math: It is packed with men, most of them Democrats, and the bulk of them middle-aged. And believe me, they are a Godless bunch.
"It's a strong majority that have tried it," Scutari says. "A lot of them have told me they smoked."
And yet, so far, Scutari doesn't have a lot of recruits to his cause, at least out in the open.
You can make a dozen rational arguments in favor of marijuana legalization. New Jersey arrests 24,000 people a year for possession, a colossal waste of money and effort that even the state municipal prosecutors association thinks is misguided.
They can wind up with criminal records that bar them from jobs, schools, and even public housing -- unless they spend a boatload of money on a lawyer.
"It's ridiculous," says Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, an attorney who handles many of these cases. "The typical outcome is that you pay a substantial fine and you get a conditional dismissal of charges, so if nothing happens in the next six months, it's dismissed. We get a lot of them, probably three or four a week."
Bramnick (R-Union) is among those who admit that he used to smoke weed, back in the day at Syracuse University. And yes, he says, he inhaled. "Not bad, actually," he says.
Then there's the money. New Jersey could raise $300 million a year by taxing marijuana sales, according to a careful study released last week by New Jersey Policy Perspective and the state branch of the ACLU.
That's not chump change. It could finance a Marshall Plan to build treatment centers across the state for those addicted to more dangerous drugs, like heroin and alcohol.
African-Americans bear the brunt of this bad policy, as with the rest of the drug war. Whites and blacks use marijuana at comparable levels. But blacks are 2.8 times more likely to be arrested on possession charges, according to the ACLU. That's tied to racist behavior, like the stop-and-frisk practice that federal investigators found in Newark.
"When you get stopped and frisked, and they find a joint, you get arrested," says the ACLU's Udi Ofer. "It's the same when they pull you over and search your car. That's what's entangling people in the system."
What do we get for all this? Gov. Chris Christie says marijuana poses a unique danger as a gateway drug for children. But there's no good evidence for that. And shouldn't the same logic apply to alcohol?
One thing is certain: By driving this trade underground, we got a lot of violence. In New Jersey, people spend about $900 million a year on marijuana, a huge pipeline of money, a bonanza for gangs and mobsters. People die fighting over street corners that give them access to it.
"It is the cash cow of the illegal drug trade," Scutari says. "Legalization could get a lot of bad people off the corners. That's the biggest thing. We've got to save our neighborhoods."
And that's why decriminalization is such a weak answer. It means users get off with a small fine, like a traffic ticket. But it leaves the bad guys on their corners.
Here's what really drives me nuts about this debate: The hypocrisy of conservatives like Christie who complain about intrusive government, and then impose their drug of choice on the rest of us.
Their martini is the more dangerous drug. Ask Dr. David Nathan, a Princeton psychiatrist who has studied it. He first noticed this among his own patients.
Alcohol caused more addiction, more violence, and more risky behavior when it comes to having sex or driving cars. Alcohol causes more organ damage as well.
Among children, he says, both drugs present a danger. But for adults, it's not a close call.
"Marijuana is by just about every measure safer," says Nathan. "For my patients, I'm much more concerned about alcohol."
None of this will change until we have a new governor in January 2017. Phil Murphy, the only declared candidate for governor, favors legalization.
Among those who are likely candidates, Sens. Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester) and Ray Lesniak (D-Union), say they would consider it, and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop takes no position.
But you can see the arc of this story. So far, 17 states have decriminalized marijuana possession, and four have legalized sale and possession. New Jersey's day will come.
In the meantime, enjoy your martini at a nice restaurant. But if you're going to smoke weed, stay home and order pizza.
News Moderator: Christine Green 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana or martinis: Should government choose for you? | Moran | NJ.com
Author: Tom Moran
Contact: 888-782-7533
Photo Credit: Patti Sapone
Website: New Jersey Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - NJ.com