The revised law for under-21s in possession of cannabis or alcohol would operate on a tier system. The first instance would earn a written warning; for the second, parents or guardians would be alerted and given information on educational programs for drug use; for the third, the underage person would be referred to available community services.
Chief Michigan said, “The law inexplicably bans police officers from notifying parents the first time their children are found to be using or in possession of marijuana or alcohol. Overreaching even further, the law criminalizes the good-faith actions of police officers who, smelling marijuana, try to investigate the underage use or possession by a child.
That was the message from the Ocean County Police Chiefs Association during a public presentation on the Boardwalk off Arnold Avenue on Saturday afternoon. Elected officials and law enforcement leaders warned it would be the county’s resort communities that are the first to feel the effects of legal weed.