The legalization of small amounts of marijuana for people 21 and over came before the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday as the committee considers abill introduced by Sen. Nicolas Scutari, D-Union. According to Scutari's office, no vote was taken. (To listen to the hearing, click here.) In the bill, Scutari mentions the cost to New Jersey for enforcement. Marijuana possession arrests made up three out of every five drug arrests in New Jersey in 2012. The state shells out about $127 million per year on marijuana possession enforcement efforts. [continues 809 words]
There is talk of shrinking drug-free school zones because of unfair social consequences. But some police officers looking at the issue purely from a law-enforcement perspective say the only thing lawmakers should shrink is the possibility of a drug dealer facing less time in prison. The current law increases penalties for anyone found selling drugs within 1,000 feet of a school or 500 feet of a park, public building or public housing. A proposal from a state commission now being pushed by Gov. Jon S. Corzine and supported by all 21 county prosecutors in New Jersey calls for reducing the various zones to 200 feet. [continues 977 words]
NEW BRUNSWICK: Twenty-four-year-old Raheem Byrom wanted to be a police officer even before he was a city fifth-grader, one who went through the then-new DARE program. For 14 years, New Brunswick police have worked in the city schools to steer fifth-graders away from drugs through the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. Byrom is one sign of the maturity of DARE in New Brunswick. "It teaches you to separate yourself from the evils at an early age," said Byrom, who joined the police force eight months ago. "It added to me wanting to be a police officer." [continues 251 words]
