TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey GOP, after being submissive to the mandates of Governor Phil Murphy during his two-year-long pandemic emergency orders has the governor on the ropes. Murphy’s agenda has lost steam and now, credibility. The governor is attempting a safe pandemic exit strategy after imposing policies that have shut down businesses for ever, harmed the mental health of children and lead to the deaths of thousands of seniors.
In response today, the New Jersey Republican party…is pushing reefer madness. Republicans, in a blue state that has openly supported legalized marijuana by voter referendum, is going off-message at a time when staying on point is critical in their battle against the governor’s draconian COVID-19 mandates.
As New Jersey inches closer to legal recreational marijuana sales, Assemblymen Erik Simonsen and Antwan McClellan are sounding the alarm on the potential danger the new industry presents to young people. They have introduced a bill requiring students in grades 3 through 12 to be educated on the risks of the drug’s use.
It is a great idea, then they start going into the realms of the 1930s church-sponsored television show, Reefer Madness.
“According to a national study, nearly 11 percent of teenagers who had tried marijuana reported being dependent on it a year later. By year three, 20% had developed a substance abuse disorder,” the pair continue. “Marijuana addiction is more common among teens than adults because their brains are still developing and vulnerable. Adolescents and teens who use marijuana experience distorted thinking, hallucinations, paranoia, anxiety, and depression and can even face a permanent decrease in I.Q. with prolonged abuse.”
Republicans will never learn that the marijuana debate in New Jersey has been settled and if they intend to grow the party, a Reefer Madness policy is not the way to do it in a midterm election year.