I have never been to New Jersey, but TWB gets a lot of readers from there, and they have all been nice people. Some of them are medical marijuana patients, others are just cannabis enthusiasts. All of them express a strong desire to see New Jersey’s marijuana laws reformed. They are also quick to throw their Governor, Chris Christie, under the bus for his adamant support of marijuana prohibition. Chris Christie once called marijuana users ‘diseased’ and stated that he supports incredibly harsh sentences for marijuana, even if it’s just for personal possession and use.
Keeping all of that about Chris Christie in mind, it is not surprising that New Jersey’s marijuana arrest rate is at a 20 year high (based off of most current data available). Per SFGate:
New Jersey’s 24,765 arrests for possession of small amounts of marijuana in 2013 was the state’s highest number in 20 years, nearly doubling the amount in 1993 when the population was 12 percent less, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Simple possession is considered less than 50 grams, or about 1 3/4 ounces.
As legislators debate whether to legalize and regulate the drug, Gov. Chris Christie has vowed to veto any bill that would legalize recreational marijuana use.
Ofer said that he doubts “anyone knows the exact answer, but it’s a point of concern.”
“It coincides with a governor who has taken an incredibly harsh tone on marijuana use,” he said.
At a time when a record number of Americans support ending the harmful public policy that is marijuana prohibition, Chris Christie is still pushing for it. Chris Christie will never be President of the United States, however, that hasn’t stopped him from stating many times that if he were, he would roll back marijuana reform nationwide. That guy is so out of touch, it hurts my head. No one should have their lives ruined and be locked in a cage for a plant that is 114 times safer than alcohol.
