While the debate over New Jersey marijuana legalization has largely become a question of "will they or won't they," law enforcement officials are preparing for the most likely scenario.
What if "they" don't legalize weed ... but a neighboring state does?
Marijuana legalization efforts in the Mid-Atlantic states are at various junctures, with both New Jersey and New York seemingly headed in that direction. While New Jersey hasn't changed its marijuana laws, the drug has been decriminalized in New York after state legislators failed to pass a legal weed bill this summer.
But every race has a loser, leading to the likely scenario in which one state will legalize the drug for recreational use while the states around it maintain the status quo.
If New Jersey legalized weed, it would completely upend the "equation" that New Jersey police officers have been trained to recognize and enforce against, said State Troopers Fraternal Association President Wayne Blanchard.
"This is something we're always been worried about in New Jersey because it changes the entire dynamic, from 'drugs in, cash out' to 'cash in, drugs out,'" said Blanchard, whose union represents New Jersey State Police officers.