The first public question on New Jersey’s ballot asks voters to decide whether the state should legalize recreational marijuana use and possession. Barnegat township officials have their own stance on the issue. Township Committee members passed a resolution this week in opposition to a constitutional amendment legalizing recreational cannabis use and sales.
The proposed resolution appeared on the October meeting’s monthly consent agenda. Matters that appear in this portion of the agenda are considered routine. The committee does not generally engage in formal discussion on individual items. Exceptions are sometimes made as far as commentary without removing matters from the consent agenda.
Committeeman Al Cirulli called the issue “near and dear” to him as a retired educator. He expressed concerns that legalizing recreational marijuana would make it more accessible to children.
“It’s going to have a devastating effect on kids because kids will get this and use it,” said Cirulli. “It will do damage to their brains, which are not fully matured until they are 26 years old.”
Cirulli referred to marijuana as the gateway drug and said the state only wanted to legalize use and sales in hopes of making a financial windfall.