Toms River Council follows Seaside Heights, Berkeley in calling for repeal of Marijuana Law
There is growing calls for action among local governments, police and parents across the Jersey Shore hoping for clarity and reveals of certain parts of the Marijuana Law that currently prevents police from notifying parents about their son or daughters underage use of marijuana or alcohol and it also subjects police to criminal charges and revokes their immunity.
The Toms River Township Council is following the action taken on Monday by the Berkeley Township Council and prior to that, the Seaside Heights Council in introducing resolutions calling for a repeal of the Marijuana Law.
There isn't a debate in these towns over whether or not the Marijuana Law should or should not have been passed but they are arguing that the bi-laws that the State put in after the fact are unjust.
In Toms River, the council in their resolution, said in a copy obtained by Townsquare Media News, that Senate Bill 3454 "was passed with little to no discussion, no public transparency and no public debate."
The council has also raised a number of other concerns related to parental notification and the criminalizing of law enforcement for doing what used to be part of their job.
"By passing Senate Bill No. 3454, the Legislature and Governor Phil Murphy ignored the judgement of parents over the lives of their children. It shows children that there are no major consequences if they are found using marijuana or alcohol for the first time."
"Senate Bill No. 3454 takes a huge step backward on the path of ensuring children are aware of both the short and long-term consequences of drug and alcohol use."
"Senate Bill No. 3454 unfairly and unreasonably imposes criminal penalties on law enforcement officers if they are found to have violated new rules dictating underage possession."
"Senate Bill No. 3454 turns law enforcement officers into criminals. It establishes a legal set of enforcement powers, but it criminalizes the actual enforcement of those powers."
"Senate Bill No. 3454 contradicts a prior law that banned smoking tobacco products on beaches and boardwalks, but now that law may be essentially unenforceable when it comes to smoking marijuana on beaches and boardwalks. Underage users of marijuana will now be free to smoke it anywhere, including in places the law says is illegal, because merely stopping a person to enforce the law is now illegal for police."
The Toms River Council is sending a copy of the full resolution to Governor Murphy, the State Legislature, Ocean County Board of Commissioners (who support the calls for reversal and repeal of the Marijuana Law), the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, New Jersey Municipal Management Association and New Jersey State PBA.
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