Jim Johnson Blasts Chris Christie’s “Beyond Stupidity” Comments on Legalizing Marijuana
Jim Johnson Blasts Chris Christie’s “Beyond Stupidity” Comments on Legalizing Marijuana
Says Governor Christie Blind or Ignorant to Impact Legalization of Marijuana Would Have on People of Color to Reduce Disparities in Criminal Justice System
Today, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Johnson released the following statement on Governor Christie’s dismissal of legalizing marijuana as “beyond stupidity”:
“Imagine a New Jersey in which Governor Christie had aggressively promoted medical marijuana for the treatment of pain, a state in which doctors did not prescribe opioids at the rate that they currently do because of the availability of pain-killing alternatives. Would we still have the opioid crisis that we have today?
“Now imagine a New Jersey where marijuana possession is legal. We would see fewer young African American men saddled with drug arrests early in life — arrests that significantly impact their families and their futures. We would see a smaller disparity between black and white incarceration rates. We would see a criminal justice system that focuses on violent crime and a system that promotes stronger community-police relationships.
“But that’s not a state we live in, because that’s not the kind of Governor New Jersey has had. Sadly, our current Governor is either blind or ignorant to the impact this would have on people of color to reduce disparities in our criminal justice system.
“Not to mention the fact that legalizing marijuana in New Jersey will help aid our disastrous budget shortfall — which is something that truly is ‘beyond stupidity.’”
Last night, Jim Johnson spoke at the Social Justice Forum hosted by the NAACP and NJISJ at NJPAC, where he presented his plans for reforming our criminal justice system by legalizing marijuana, ending mandatory minimums, closing private prisons, and funding alternatives to incarceration, like mental health and addiction programs, and reentry programs.
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