As a concerned New Jersey resident with children, I wanted to understand this new bill that legalized marijuana.
I was taken back that it bars the notification of parents when their children are caught using or possessing marijuana for the first time. I thought it must be a misprint; after all, this bill is to allow “adult” recreational use only.
After reading it again – it turned out to be true – this bill promotes the use of marijuana by minors by cutting parents out of knowing their child was caught by the police with marijuana.
How could our governor allow this to pass? How could our elected officials allow this bill to be introduced? Would any of them care to know their child is using marijuana?
Are they so backward in their thinking that getting children to use marijuana at an early age will bump up tax revenue over the long term?
As parents in New Jersey got wind of this flagrant disregard for the safety of our children, we stood up, we showed up and we made our voices heard.
Gov. Murphy is now beating his chest about how great he is to revise the bill to allow for parental notification. Shame on you Gov. Murphy for doing the right thing only because you were caught doing the wrong thing.
I look forward to the day when New Jersey has leaders in our government who can decipher right from wrong and share the same values as the parents of New Jersey.
Ron Schlegel
Millstone Township
