Jersey City doesn't have the power to decriminalize weed, despite city officials' attempts to roll up a new policy earlier this week, according to a memo from the New Jersey Attorney General's Office.
Friday's memo from Attorney General Gurbir Grewal to the city's new prosecutor, Jake Hudnut, contained some crushing news for local cannabis activists and users. According to Grewal's letter, Jersey City does not have the legal authority to decriminalize marijuana or refuse to criminally prosecute all marijuana-related offenses.
Attorney General Gurbir Grewal told lawmakers legalization would pose challenges for law enforcement.
“How do we assess drugged driving? What’s the metric for it? Do we have enough drug recognition experts to do this job? Do we have to train up our officers on field sobriety testing procedures? Do we have to have more education and prevention efforts?
Grewal says law enforcement is also trying to understand how police dogs will operate because they’re not trained to differentiate between marijuana and other drugs.
This was Attorney General Gurbir Grewal’s first appearance before the Senate Budget Committee, so he would have to be excused for his punctuality, given the committee’s casual relationship with the clock.
Chairman Paul Sarlo’s committee is tasked with boring down on the numbers included in the governor’s $37 billion budget but, given that the Attorney General was whisked into office on the first day of the new administration, members seemed intent on picking his brain, concentrating on policy more than numbers.
State law enforcement officials are training more officers to recognize signs of drugged driving and preparing for other major changes as New Jersey moves toward legalizing marijuana, the state's attorney general said Tuesday.
Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, who was appointed by Gov. Phil Murphy, an advocate for legalization, told a Senate committee Tuesday that he expected the availability of recreational marijuana to present "a challenge," but one his office was prepared to meet.