Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop issued a warning to the city’s police force: Use of marijuana, even off-duty, “will result in termination.”
Fulop’s position, citing federal government policies, comes despite the state’s acting attorney general, Matthew Platkin, issuing a memo last week reportedly stating that off-duty officers in the Garden State may consume cannabis products and not face disciplinary action under the state’s legal marijuana law.
However, in a series of tweets, Fulop said the city disagrees with New Jersey’s position on the matter and has opted to adhere to the federal standards.
“Our local police leadership will issue a directive today to the nearly 1,000 Police officers in #JerseyCity that we respect NJ’s position BUT to clarify in JC officers (on duty/off duty) will not be allowed to smoke marijuana”, reads part of the thread published by Fulop on Wednesday on Twitter.
“The fact is that all officers/recruits attest to the federal government through DOJ + ATF paperwork when they receive their firearms that they will not use any federally prohibited drugs, including marijuana,” Fulop continued.
According to the mayor, the state’s memorandum allowing officers to use cannabis will put “the community at risk.”
“New Jersey’s policies allowing law enforcement to smoke is a national outlier and will put our officers and community at risk with impaired judgment. Unlike alcohol, where there are tests and timelines that can create a clear protection between consumption and duty, with marijuana that does not exist,” Fulop said.
Although he explained that he “has been a strong supporter of legalization,” “accountable protections for our officer and community are important. Trust between police and the community is fragile.”
While Platkin’s memo stated that police officers were allowed to use cannabis while off duty, Governor Phil Murphy on Monday said he has an “open mind” about changing the rules to effectively ban police officers from using cannabis. State Police use it while off-duty, reported NJ.com.
This latest development coming from Jersey City follows Murphy’s announcement last week that legal marijuana sales in New Jersey would begin Thursday.
People over the age of 21 in the state will be able to buy cannabis and cannabis products without a medical card starting on that date, the governor tweeted.
Voters approved the legal sale of marijuana in the state in 2020, but the state was slow to establish the rules governing its sale and to approve businesses to sell it.
Seven medical marijuana dispensaries in the Garden State were given the green light to sell recreational marijuana at 13 locations in a vote by the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission on April 11.
Before that ruling, there were only medical marijuana dispensaries operating in New Jersey. Seven of those medical marijuana businesses received the first licenses.
Many more prospective recreational retailers are also trying to open in New Jersey.
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