NJ marijuana legalization: Anti legal weed banner plane flown on Memorial Day Weekend

Mike Davis | Asbury Park Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Inside Colorado Cannabis Tours, a legal weed party on wheels Millions of visitors flock to Colorado each year for legal weed, launching a niche marijuana tourism industry. At Colorado Cannabis Tours, guests ride a party bus and smoke marijuana to their heart's delight.

SEASIDE PARK - On the only sunny day of Memorial Day Weekend, beachgoers got a glimpse of the fight over legal weed in New Jersey: "Gov. (Phil) Murphy: Put kids before profits! Don't legalize pot!"

That message was carried by a banner plane across the Jersey Shore, spotted in Asbury Park, Manasquan and Island Beach State Park, where the governor's official residence is located.

The stunt was organized by New Jersey Responsible Approaches to Marijuana Policy, the state's offshoot of anti-weed advocacy group Smart Approaches to Marijuana as a way to remind Murphy — who has vowed to legalize weed this year — that "legalizing recreational marijuana is a dangerous public health policy," Smart Approaches to Marijuana founder Kevin Sabet said.

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"If the Big Marijuana industry has their way, this airplane banner won’t be the only thing getting high at the Jersey Shore," Sabet said in a news release.

The Jersey Shore has been one of the focal points for both marijuana legalization advocates and opponents. Those in favor of legal weed see the Jersey Shore as the center of a new pot tourism industry, where out-of-staters stop at marijuana dispensaries on their way to the beaches and boardwalks.

Colorado shops started selling legal weed in 2014 and has seen a tourism boost, with an estimated 12 million visitors taking part in a "marijuana-related activity" in 2016. Watch a video of one interesting activity for marijuana users in Colorado at the top of this page.

HIGH HOPES: Legal weed boosted tourism in Colorado. Is NJ next?

But at the local level, many of those towns have already taken a stance against allowing such dispensaries in their towns. Point Pleasant Beach was one of the first to pass an ordinance banning marijuana sales, including dispensaries.

Council members in Surf City on Long Beach Island passed a similar ordinance, and Seaside Heights officials drafted an ordinance that has yet to be introduced.

Mike Davis; @byMikeDavis: 732-643-4223; mdavis@gannettnj.com