Two expert panelists in favor of legalization of marijuana in New Jersey and two opposed presented “The Dope on Marijuana Legalization,” an information and discussion session hosted by the Princeton Community Democratic Organization (PCDO) on Sunday, April 15 at the Suzanne Patterson Center.
Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, sponsor of a current bill in the State Assembly for legalization; and David Nathan, Princeton psychiatrist, educator and founder and board president of Doctors for Cannabis Regulation, spoke first, presenting their perspectives and cases for legalization of recreational marijuana.
Rory Wells, former Ocean County prosecutor and current advisor to New Jersey Responsible Approaches to Marijuana Policy (NJRAMP), and Diane Litterer, CEO and executive director of The New Jersey Prevention Network (NJPN), followed with reasons why recreational marijuana should not be legalized in New Jersey.
Bills to legalize the recreational use of marijuana have been introduced in the state Assembly, including Gusciora’s latest proposal, and the state Senate, and Governor Murphy continues to support the cause. But opinions are divided in the legislature and in the state at large.
PCDO President Jean Durbin reported that an informal audience poll at Sunday’s gathering revealed 75 percent in favor of legalization, 20 percent opposed, and 5 percent undecided. Nine states so far, plus the District of Columbia, have legalized recreational marijuana.