SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Part of the bill that legalized marijuana in New Jersey last month also prevents police from telling parents if their kid got busted with pot. Some state legislators, however, want to reverse that.
When marijuana was legalized and decriminalized last month, the legislation included a provision that prohibits police from contacting the parents of kids who are caught drinking alcohol or smoking marijuana on a first offense. The current law only allows police to inform parents if their kids are caught on a second offense.
State Sen. Dawn Marie Addiego of Burlington County said that’s illogical, and parents should be kept in the loop.
“It just made no sense that parents — who have to give permission for your child to have an aspirin at school — wouldn’t be notified if your child is caught drinking for the first time at school,” she said.
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She believes the state Legislature should draft a simple and straightforward amendment. It would first have to clear committee, then it would go to a full vote before landing on Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk for a signature. He said he supports parental notification.
“I personally think that’s a step in the right direction,” said Murphy.
The bill also appears to have plenty of bipartisan support. Many members of the state Legislature are parents themselves, Addiego said, and they want this done soon.
There is currently no precise timeline for when the bill will be up for a vote, but Addiego expects it to move quickly.
“We’re all parents,” she added, “and we all want what’s best for our children, and I think this is the right way to go. It has to be a parent’s decision as to how to handle their child when they do something illegal.”