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.
The law enforcement community has emerged as one of the strongest critics of the laws. Their issues are focused on provisions that prohibit police from notifying a parent or guardian if a person under 18 is caught with marijuana or alcohol on the first offense, and expose police officers to potential criminal liability if they search an underage person for either.
“While those in New Jersey voted to legalize cannabis for adults, Trenton has taken the extraordinary leap to pass a law that goes far beyond the voter mandate to include (the) de facto legalization of marijuana and alcohol for children,” said Point Pleasant Police Chief Joseph A. Michigan, president of the police chiefs association.