Nov. 14, 2018
By Ambar Cabrera
Editor
After many promises and political debates, there is a bill in the New Jersey legislature to legalize recreational marijuana. If passed, New Jersey would become the ninth state to allow those 21 years and older to possess marijuana.
Last year, Governor Phil Murphy ran his political campaign on the promise that he would support the legalization of cannabis. Now, he is working towards that goal, which he said would stimulate the economy by creating jobs and businesses.
History teacher Mr. Clifford said the benefits of legalizing recreational marijuana extend beyond the economy.
“Thousands of individuals who have been charged with marijuana possession would have charges dropped, which also lessens the burden on local [and] county police and courts,” Clifford said.
He said the legalization of recreational marijuana can be beneficial but also comes with challenges.
“Morally, many people feel that legalizing marijuana is wrong. Federal law lists marijuana as a Type 1 narcotic,” Clifford said. “This presents issues as well since the federal government could technically seize any marijuana assets since marijuana-based businesses are technically breaking federal law.”
In an effort to eliminate arguments against legalization of the substance, State Senator Nicholas Scutari from the 22nd Legislative District, who supports the campaign, proposed that there be designated cannabis smoking areas to prevent conflict with non-smoking areas and buildings, according to CBS New York.
Another aspect of the bill that has been under dispute are tax rates. According to northjersey.com, Scott Rudder, who is a part of the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association, said the major holdup is disagreement about whether to impose a 25 percent tax on retail marijuana or begin with a lower rate that increases over several years.
“Other issues could be that legalizing marijuana may not eliminate illegal sale of [marijuana]. People may still try to sell marijuana illegally tax-free,” Clifford said.
Junior Sharon Martinez said she is concerned that if a bill legalizing recreational marijuana were approved, it would negatively impact New Jersey teenagers.
“As a youth, it would affect my everyday life,” Martinez said. “Kids in my school would use this to their benefit and abuse the power they are now given.”
Senior Melissa Veliz said health teachers have cautioned against the use of cannabis.
However, Veliz supports the legalization of recreational marijuana because she said it can be beneficial to one’s health and soothe pain.
“Marijuana can help people relieve stress, chronic pain [and] anxiety,” Veliz said. “Medical marijuana has helped many cancer patients and people who need to conceal the pain.”
According to NJ.com, over two dozen towns—which include Carlstadt, East Rutherford and Garfield—have come forward in disagreement of Murphy’s plan and are taking action to keep cannabis-related substances out of their communities. Asbury Park, Atlantic City, Jersey City and Trenton are the only four cities that have formally announced their support of legalizing recreational marijuana.
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