This week the Sussex County Board of Freeholders passed a resolution opposing legalizing recreational use of marijuana in New Jersey. It doesn't change any laws. Sometimes local elected officials just like to let their feelings be known. The vote was close 3 to 2. There was a lot of discussion but in the end Freeholders Petillo, Yardley and Lazarro came out against legalization. Freeholders Rose and Graham supported legalization.
I have visited California several times now. Recreational marijuana has been legal there for a few years. Here are some of my observations: In Los Angeles there are retail stores everywhere with folks inside who check your I.D. These people very knowledgeable about the different kinds of weed you can buy. There are varieties that might help with pain, sleep, relaxation etc.
We all know people who smoke pot and it's pretty safe to say a vast majority of us have been exposed to it. I don't smoke pot. To be honest it just doesn't do anything for me. All of my kids seem to have the same feeling about it. I think I'm lucky none of my kids are interested.
Legalizing pot is a tough question for me. I don't think this is something a person belongs in jail for. On the other hand I don't think we need any more marijuana around than we have already. One thing I don't want to see is more young people smoking it. When I was in high school it was all over the place. I hope that's not the way it is now.
I did visit one of those legal marijuana retail stores just to get an idea about how it all works. The people inside were very polite and answered all my questions. However, buying weed in one of these stores is not cheap. It's about 20 bucks for one joint. Of course, this includes the tax and I'm told assures consumers are getting a quality product. It was interesting to see but I had no desire to make a purchase.
Source: New Jersey Herald
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