Letter to the Editor
October 5, 2018
As a member of the Highland Park Borough Council, and as the father of two adolescents, I am concerned about the likely legalization of recreational marijuana in New Jersey and the possibility of marijuana being sold in Highland Park. I support the bill that State Senator Ron Rice has sponsored that would remove criminal penalties for small amounts of marijuana but would not create a system that would legalize marijuana in New Jersey. I understand that the New Jersey State Legislature is considering legalizing marijuana throughout the State with an opt-out provision for municipalities that want to ban marijuana sales. I am currently advocating passage of an ordinance that would prevent businesses in Highland Park from selling marijuana (medicinal and recreational) and marijuana paraphernalia due to the harm posed by marijuana and its active addictive ingredient, Tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”), and the risks legalization of marijuana poses to adolescents. In an April 2016 article, You Can’t Deny Marijuana Is Dangerous For Developing Minds, Dr. Diane McIntosh, a psychiatrist and clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia, explained that marijuana “is not benign and there’s a mountain of scientific evidence, compiled over nearly 30 years, to prove it poses serious risks, particularly for developing brains.” She points out that smoking marijuana produces cancer causing toxins and chronic lung disease, and may lower one’s IQ, cause brain cell damage, mental illness, and motor vehicle accidents. READ MORE
