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A medical marijuana dispensary in Woodbridge grows pot.

(Andrew Mills/The Star-Ledger)

State Sen. Nicholas Scutari's pot-legalization plan is probably doomed. That's no secret. Gov. Chris Christie vows to veto the bill, should it actually get that far.

Even if its fate is preordained, lawmakers should still reward Scutari’s bill with enthusiastic debate. That way, when New Jersey’s political winds shift in marijuana’s favor — as they inevitably will — we’ll be ready to do it right.

Few doubt that pot’s days as a drug war villain are numbered, or that Christie’s rigid opposition to its legal use, whether for medicine or fun, is anything but a “Reefer Madness” mentality that lists marijuana alongside dangerous narcotics such as cocaine and heroin. This is an opportunity to prepare.

Fifty-five percent of Americans, according to a January CNN poll, already say recreational marijuana should be legal. In New Jersey, 61 percent support lighter punishments for possession, and 59 percent want to legalize, regulate and tax it.

Scutari's bill, submitted yesterday, would classify pot like liquor, even selling grow-your-own licenses. Colorado, which legalized its nonmedicinal use this year, collected more than $2 million in recreational pot taxes in January. Scutari (D-Union) predicts New Jersey could raise $100 million a year.

The potential windfall masks the real problem with today’s pot policy: time and money wasted to treat marijuana like the scourge it’s not.

New Jersey still punishes possession with up to six months in jail and $1,000 fines; in 2010, we spent $125 million arresting 22,000 people. For what? A trail of wasted money and unnecessary criminal records, unfairly aimed at young men of color. This might be the most significant ground shared by Christie and the legalization lobby: that treatment works better than enforcement. But don’t expect Christie to budge. Medical marijuana was legal when Christie took office, and he still tries to block it.

That’s no reason for legislators to punt. They can tackle nagging questions — How to test for pot-impaired driving? Can employers drug-test for legal marijuana? — and test Christie’s willingness to change his mind.

Meanwhile, admire Scutari’s political daring. Few elections are won by “soft-on-drugs” candidates. But the tide is turning toward legalization.

And, as the Democrat from Union County said yesterday: “(Christie’s) not going to be the governor forever.”

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