New Jersey’s recreational marijuana legalization provisions for minors passed in February were opposed, and state House members passed new legislation to amend them.
New Jersey Governor Murphy on Friday (March 26) signed a new bill (A-5472) that requires law enforcement to provide written notification to the Parents or guardians of minors under the age of 18 who first unlawfully possess or consume alcoholic beverages, marijuana or marijuana products (cannabis, marijuana, or hashish). This bill is an amendment to a provision in the marijuana legalization bill introduced in February.
On Feb. 22 of this year, the bill legalizing recreational marijuana in New Jersey was signed into law with a provision requiring police not to notify parents or guardians when a minor commits a first offense under the marijuana statute, and to wait until they are caught for a second offense before contacting their parents or guardians.
The bill was met with strong opposition from New Jersey law enforcement agencies and some municipalities upon its introduction. Several municipal police chiefs issued public statements criticizing the bill and expressing concern.
Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., Police Chief Joseph Michigan said in a public statement on Feb. 26 that the new law was detrimental to the safety of minors. He said, “It is surprising that parents are being denied information about their children’s marijuana or alcohol use. Michigan argued that parents have a right to know the movements of their minor children, and the new law does the opposite, which is very detrimental to the safety of children.
Christopher Battiloro, chief of the Westfield, N.J., police department, issued a similar statement on the department’s official Facebook page.
Lawrence Township Police Chief Brian M. Caloiaro was “shocked” and “appalled” by the ban on police notifications to parents of underage marijuana smokers, questioning. “As a police department and as parents, if the police can neither take action nor contact parents or legal guardians, who will ensure the safety of our children?”
Some Chinese parents in New Jersey also expressed strong disapproval of the law, calling it unconscionable. They said that the legalization of marijuana is supposed to remove the child’s prevention of marijuana, if the child’s first offense and then do not tell parents, how can parents help their children to change the vice in Time? Do we have to wait until the problem is serious to educate children?
The New Jersey Police Association and state legislators have also strongly criticized the bill.
Just three days before Murphy’s legislation (March 24), the Ocean County Chiefs of Police Association held a press conference with the state’s Republican legislators to criticize the marijuana law for putting criminal pressure on police while The meeting was held by the Ocean County Chiefs of Police Association and the state’s Republican legislators, who criticized the marijuana statute for putting criminal pressure on police while allowing minors to illegally possess marijuana and alcohol at schools, parks and beaches.
Joseph Michigan, chief of police for the City of Point Pleasant Beach and president of the Ocean County Police Chiefs Association, said, “This dangerous law not only continues to keep parents from being notified, but also prevents police from actually investigating (underage drinking and marijuana use) in the first place. It also prevents police from investigating and dealing with juvenile marijuana use and abuse in schools, parks and beaches.”
Republican State Senator Robert Singer criticized the original marijuana legalization bill as “nasty,” saying that the state law classifies young people under 21 as “minors,” who may already be 18 or 19 years old. When these college students are drinking and getting high on the beach, the police have no authority to search them, or the police could be convicted of a Class 3 crime and sent to jail or fined.
The new bill, A-5472/ S-3565, is a bipartisan bill passed by the New Jersey Assembly last week. Lawmakers say the purpose of the bill is to “further discourage the use of alcohol and marijuana by residents under the age of 18,” saying the measure is a remedy to the original bill that “prevented law enforcement officers from notifying parents when a minor was found to be illegally using or possessing alcohol or marijuana products. This part of the statute would allow police to notify parents in writing of a youth’s first violation and each subsequent violation.
The new legislation was introduced by four Democratic state Representatives Herb Conaway, Joann Downey, Eric Houghtaling and Shanique Speight, and passed the House unanimously 72-0, according to a March 26 announcement by the state House of Representatives.
But the new legislation still does not allow police to search for minors who may be in illegal possession of alcohol (marijuana), or the police may have to go to jail.
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