State Sen. Ronald Rice, D-Essex, chairman of the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus, said legal marijuana will entice people who have never used the drug to try it.
Bishop Jethro James Jr. of Newark's Paradise Baptist Church said the pot shops will be in urban areas as suburban communities ban them.
And former Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who has relocated to Brigantine from Rhode Island, said, "We're looking forward to turning back this effort to legalize marijuana."
James, Rice and Kennedy were among the speakers at a press conference at the National Press Club held by Smart Approaches to Marijuana, an Alexandria, Virginia-based advocacy group that opposes full-scale legalization out of concern that pot is just another addictive substance like alcohol and tobacco.