*By Amanda Weston* New Jersey may be the next state to legalize recreational marijuana, but not if state Sen. Gerald Cardinale can help it. "Legalization promotes additional use," Republican State Sen. Gerald Cardinale told Cheddar Tuesday. "There is a certain stigma today with respect to marijuana usage that keeps some people from using it. Once you remove that stigma, everyone has a pretty good idea that you know, 'Hey, the government says it's okay. I don't feel bad about using it. Why not? Joe uses it and Millie uses it over there. Why not?'" "And so you get an increased number of people who are stoned driving. I for one think we have enough traffic accidents already in New Jersey. So I think we should just for that reason alone take a real hard look before we act," added the state senator, who represents the 39th District, which includes parts of Bergen and Passaic Counties. A joint panel of New Jersey Senate and Assembly lawmakers approved a [bill to legalize recreational pot in the state on Monday](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/11/27/nj-legal-weed-bill-whats-next-after-marijuana-legalization-votes/2124016002/). The committee also addressed expanding New Jersey's medical marijuana program and expunging drug-related crimes. About 200 people were inside the hearing room, [NJ.com reported](https://www.nj.com/marijuana/2018/11/legal_weed_bill_gets_one_step_closer_to_reality_in.html); debate lasted nearly four hours. "A lot of people look at this as a way to make more money for NJ," Cardinale [tweeted Monday](https://twitter.com/gerrycardinale/status/1067119027946954752). "I don't see dollar signs. I see heartache & trouble." He [wrote in a letter Nov. 23](https://www.senatenj.com/index.php/cardinale/memo-on-legalizing-marijuana-cardinale-addresses-officials-staff-nj-press-in-advance-of-committee-vote/41456#more-41456) that marijuana is addictive and legalization corresponds to a rise in deadly car crashes. Cardinale acknowledged that more African-Americans are sent to jail for marijuana-related offenses than members of other races. He said one way to address the problem is to decriminalize possession of small quantities. "It would not create additional hordes of marketers who are going to be getting at the non-users and trying to convert them to users," he said. Those messages are going to eventually come to younger people whose brains are forming and where it is really very, very bad for them to use marijuana. When you get 12-year-olds, as we are seeing in Colorado, using marijuana, they're stunting the development of their brain. Marijuana kills brain cells. That's an established medical fact." The bill now needs to pass a full vote in the state legislature before heading to the governor's desk.

Share:
More In Business
Michigan Judge Sentences Walmart Shoplifters to Wash Parking Lot Cars
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
State Department Halts Plan to buy $400M of Armored Tesla Vehicles
The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.
Goodyear Blimp at 100: ‘Floating Piece of Americana’ Still Thriving
At 100 years old, the Goodyear Blimp is an ageless star in the sky. The 246-foot-long airship will be in the background of the Daytona 500 — flying roughly 1,500 feet above Daytona International Speedway, actually — to celebrate its greatest anniversary tour. Even though remote camera technologies are improving regularly and changing the landscape of aerial footage, the blimp continues to carve out a niche. At Daytona, with the usual 40-car field racing around a 2½-mile superspeedway, views from the blimp aptly provide the scope of the event.
Load More