1. Melissa Lindley
COM 415
Hirsch
4/17/14
It took the state of New Jersey 12 years to follow suit when California became
the first state to legalize the use of medical marijuana in 1996. Now, with Colorado’s
recent decriminalization of cannabis for recreational use, politicians in New Jersey
are eagerly looking into the possibility of doing the same.
Politics, however, are as usual, and New Jersey may face an uphill battle
similar to the one in 2008, with conservatives and current governor Chris Christie
being large obstacles in the path to legalization. Christie has repeatedly vetoed and
ignored bills regarding marijuana, including a 2013 bill that would allow registered
medical marijuana patients to purchase cannabis goods in legal states and bring
them home.
New Jersey Assemblyman and state legislator Reed Gusciora (D), has been
one of the state’s most vocal supporters of marijuana decriminalization, for both
medicinal and recreational use. Republicans and conservative Democrats, he said,
were the first to put a tight leash on medicinal use.
“It was seen as too lenient, was a runaway, and that most college kids could
go to a doctor and say they’re stressed, and get medical marijuana. So in order to
appease conservative Democrats, let’s just have it be 6 ailments: cancer, HIV/AIDS,
Wasting Syndrome, MS , Crohn’s, and glaucoma.”

2. Gusciora explained that Republicans continued to halt the progress of
medical marijuana, placing various restrictions and allowing only 3 of 6 planned
dispensaries to open, and says the state is not benefitting at all from medical use. His
frustration, however, is not just limited to the state’s handling of medical marijuana.
As a prosecutor in Lawrence Township and Trenton, he regularly deals with
cases regarding possession of non-medical marijuana. He finds the sentences to be
unreasonable and harmful, and hopes to make possession the equivalent of a
parking ticket. Most that come to court are law-abiding citizens.
“90% of the marijuana cases are that roach in the ashtray, and they usually
are college kids. And with this economic climate, it ends up on their permanent
record, and that pretty much ruins their career.”
The penalties in New Jersey for possession are not light. Those who are
charged can receive the same sentencing as those who are charged for harder drugs,
such as heroin and cocaine. It upsets him to see many young adults with bright
futures being treated as criminals, especially for a drug that he views as being safer
than alcohol.
“In New Jersey, if you’re caught with one joint of marijuana, you can face up
to 6 months of imprisonment, you can lose your driver’s license for 6 months, you
can receive up to $1000 in fines, and $800 in state assess penalties.”
One of his biggest gripes with the state’s laws on marijuana is the amount of
money invested into prosecuting. Trenton has had a long-standing reputation for
crime, corruption, and financial ruin. In 2013, the state capital set an all time record
of 37 homicides in its history.

3. Many people, he said, don’t understand the amount that is spent. When a
joint is confiscated, police and a lab technician must analyze it, and are required to
attend court to prove it is marijuana. It costs the state millions of dollars for
everyone involved to testify. He thinks the amount of money spent on prosecuting
marijuana users is wasteful, and should be spent on making the city safer.
“Police have more serious crimes to focus on. Murder, a heroin epidemic,
robberies. So they could focus on those areas. The real epidemic here is heroin, and
there are not enough beds for inpatient treatment. You could use the dollars to
generate and expand inpatient treatment.”
Gusciora also anticipates that legalization may be what Trenton needs to
make the city safer. Drug dealing and gang violence are the causes for a majority of
the city’s crime. He feels that measures such as security cameras, secure brick
buildings, and retired police officers will reduce potential crime.
“If you see a shooting in Trenton, you could probably bet that it has
something to do with a drug deal gone awry or a turf war.”
He acknowledges that the issue with the current dispensaries for medical
marijuana is pricing, and that it could be a possible issue if legalized.
“What a lot of medical marijuana patients are complaining about, because
there are only 3 dispensaries, is that the cost is higher to buy through the
dispensaries than out on the street, and there’s some people who forgo the
dispensaries.”
He has concerns about people choosing to buy off the street, because they
can’t be guaranteed that the strength or purity is appropriate, or if they’re even

4. getting marijuana at all. He thinks that dispensary prices will eventually go down,
and it will only be a temporary issue.
Gusciora’s uncertainties about dealing, however, are also among the many
concerns that opponents to legalization have. Duncan Harrison Jr., a Democrat
running for Trenton City Council this year, has differing opinions on the matter. He
feels that Gusciora’s expectations may be unrealistic from a social perspective, and
that marijuana is a public nuisance.
“Any given day, you’ll smell weed coming out of this window. Multiply it by
10, and a non-smoker like myself will sit here and smell weed. I’ll smell it, feel the
effects of it.”
Harrison doesn’t feel like rules and regulations will be enforced, due to
Trenton’s history of disorder. He doubts that citizens will care enough to follow
them, such as designated smoking areas.
“If they say you’re supposed to only smoke it inside your home, a lot of
people aren’t going to do that. So if I’m walking my child down the street, and you
have 20 people smoking on the street, then she has to go through that. And who
knows what could happen.”
He also does not completely agree with Gusciora that marijuana is as
harmless as he makes it out to be. His work environment is located in the hub of the
city, and says that his experiences with the public reinforce his feeling that it is a
gateway drug.

5. He referenced a story that was told to him by a colleague about a Colorado
man who consumed a large amount of edibles after not feeling the effects
immediately.
“He woke up and said his body felt paralyzed, his heart was racing, and he
didn’t know what to do. Just to have those types of effects, and it could lead to other
things. It’s a gateway drug. It can lead to methadone, heroin, crack, and so forth.”
His largest problem, however, is not knowing if the state, particularly
Trenton, will benefit as intended. He still thinks dealing will be a problem, but is
concerned that the revenue will not benefit everyone equally. According to
Harrison, the city of Trenton was initially receiving $50 million from the state, but
was recently cut down to $20 million. There have also been cuts in the police force
and city services.
“I’ve seen Trenton first hand not being able to reap benefits from other
things. I think Trenton is about 7.6 square miles long, and the state takes up about 4
miles worth of property, leaving about 3 miles of taxable property, but the state
doesn’t pay any taxes.”
Despite disagreeing with Gusciora on several aspects regarding marijuana,
he does share the same sentiments on a few things, such as how the legal system
prosecutes. While he believes that there should be some form of punishment since it
is still illegal, he thinks that the current penalties are too harsh.
“You have to see what else is out there for these individuals. Not everyone
has to go to jail for 25 years. Let’s let them do some community service or something
of that nature.”

6. One of Gusciora’s goals for legalization is to promote marijuana use in
moderation, and that the schools should take a role in educating.
“We still have the D.A.R.E. programs and health programs to warn of the
dangers. Kids should be focused on their studies, and marijuana has a tendency for
people to put that off to enjoy themselves instead of focusing on school.”
Harrison also agrees with Gusciora on education about the positive and
negative effects of marijuana, and also wants to discourage people from using at a
young age.
“The public needs to know what the effects are of marijuana, and what are
the pros and cons. I think just how cigarettes and alcohol have to label themselves,
that there should be the same scrutiny if they were to legalize it.”
Both Gusciora and Harrison may be on different ends of the spectrum within
the same party, but they each insist of the importance of being open to new findings
and different perspectives.
“Anywhere you put it, we’re all interconnected,” said Harrison. “And it all has
a different direct effect.”