NJ marijuana legalization: Bridgewater says no to legal pot

BRIDGEWATER - Though it will have no legal impact, the Township Council passed a resolution on Monday opposing the legalization of recreational marijuana.

The vote in favor of the resolution, proposed by Councilman Matt Moench, was 4-1, with Council President Christine Henderson Rose as the sole dissenting vote.

Moench said the resolution was "an important first step" in sending a message to the state legislature that Bridgewater is opposed to marijuana legalization "and will not allow marijuana within our borders."

Councilman Howard Norgalis said he feared legalization of marijuana would "put a scourge in our community."

READ: Public hearing in Edison looks at weed's pros and cons

READ: What does legalized recreational marijuana mean for your health?

Norgalis, however, said he was not opposed to use of legalized medicinal marijuana.

Though Moench said that the council had considered a formal ordinance opposing the legal sale of marijuana in Bridgewater, Township Attorney William Savo said that action would be premature until the state legislation takes action, if any, on legalization.

"We don't know what authority we will have," Savo said.

The state legislature is holding public hearings across New Jersey to gather input on legalization and how it would be implemented. The first hearing was conducted at Middlesex County College in Edison last Saturday, and the next hearing is scheduled for on April 21 at Rowan University in Glassboro.

Gov. Phil Murphy campaigned on a platform of legalization, but the action has run into unexpected opposition from legislators and many New Jersey municipalities, many of which have adopted ordinances similar to Bridgewater.

Councilman Felipe Pedroso said the resolution was just intended to deliver the township's opinion on the issue to legislators.

"Gov. Murphy is likely to ignore resolutions," Pedroso said.

At a previous council meeting, Moench called legalization an "ill-conceived initiative." Citing too many unanswered questions about legalization, Moench said, "legalized recreational marijuana will be detrimental to our quality of life, serve as a gateway for our community’s harder drugs, and put more drivers on the road under the influence."

Staff Writer Mike Deak: 908-243-6607; mdeak@mycentraljersey.com