A new lawsuit from two Jersey City police officers who were fired for testing positive for marijuana says that the city’s policy of punishing law enforcement for off-duty cannabis use—which defies a state-level policy—is merely an effort by Mayor Steven M. Fulop (D) to “win over more conservative voters needed for his gubernatorial campaign.”
Fulop, who launched his campaign for governor in April, announced that month that the city would terminate officers who tested positive for THC despite guidance from the state’s attorney general not to test officers for off-duty cannabis use.
The new legal challenge seeks to uncover more details by compelling Jersey City to release additional documents and records. In comments to Marijuana Moment on Tuesday, however, the mayor’s press secretary suggested the city had already made those items available to an attorney for the plaintiffs.
The legal challenge adds yet another layer to the conflict between state and local testing policies. Last month, Fulop and the city’s public safety director, James Shea, announced that Jersey City was suing the state in federal court over the policy. That lawsuit points to a federal statute that prevents people who use marijuana from acquiring firearms or ammunition, though it ignores a carveout appears to apply to government agencies.