Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop’s unilateral decision to instruct the city’s prosecutor to decriminalize marijuana in his city was met with a swift rebuke from state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.
In a letter noteworthy for its not quite collegial tone, Grewal pointedly instructed municipal prosecutor, Jake Hudnut, to stay in his lane with lines like “… you do not have the legal authority to decriminalize marijuana …”, “The criminal laws of this State are … not determined by municipal prosecutors based on ‘[r]ecent public opinion polling.'” And “I encourage you to contact [county] Prosecutor [Esther] Suarez or my office … if you have any questions about the duties of your office.”
Ouch. That prompted a meeting between Grewal and Hudnut Monday, even as the mayor continued to make the rounds of local TV news shows to promote the new policy.