N.J. Lawmaker Says State Should Legalize, But Regulate and Tax, Marijuana
By David Madden
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) -- A New Jersey state senator thinks the time has come to legalize marijuana.
Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union County), who chairs the state senate's Judiciary Committee, says the war on marijuana has gone nowhere and it just makes sense to make marijuana available legally to those over 21.
"Legalizing, regulating, and taxing marijuana will generate revenue for the state, saving millions of dollars spent each year on law enforcement," he said today.
Scutari insists he is only saying publicly what many in government have privately believed for years. But he concedes his introduction of legislation will only begin what will be a long discussion about it.
There was no immediate word on when such a bill will be produced.
Scutari points to Colorado's new experience with marijuana legalization as a model on which to build New Jersey's system.