ISLAND BEACH STATE PARK, NJ — On Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, an airplane banner flying above Island Beach State Park and up the Jersey Shore delivered a powerful message about marijuana legalization:

GOV MURPHY:  PUT KIDS BEFORE PROFITS!  DON’T LEGALIZE POT!  The airplane banner was paid for by New Jersey Responsible Approaches to Marijuana Policy (NJ-RAMP), a grassroots coalition of parents, medical professionals, law enforcement officers, and employers opposed to the legalization of recreational marijuana in New Jersey.

“As the unofficial start of summer kicks off, we wanted to remind Governor Murphy and New Jersey legislators that legalizing recreational marijuana is dangerous public health policy that will negatively impact our children, families and communities,” said Kevin Sabet, founder of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and its New Jersey affiliate, NJ-RAMP.  “And if the Big Marijuana industry has their way, this airplane banner won’t be the only thing getting high at the Jersey Shore.  Our message is simple — don’t let Big Marijuana profit at the expense of New Jersey kids and families.”

Sabet noted that a number of beach towns and coastal communities in New Jersey have already taken steps to ban marijuana in their municipalities, including Point Pleasant Beach, Brigantine, Seaside Heights, Rumson, and Governor Murphy’s home town of Middletown.