PARSIPPANY — Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Council passed Resolution R2018-044 on Tuesday, March 20. The resolution “Township Expressing Its Opposition to Proposed Legislation to Permit the Recreational Use of Marijuana in the State of New Jersey,” was passed 3-2. Councilwoman Emily Peterson and Council Vice President Janice McCarthy voted against the resolution.
Before introducing the Resolution, Councilman Michael dePierro stated “There are studies, one of them from National Academies of Scientists, Engineering and Medicine. They did a pretty thorough study, and I can’t pretend to understand a lot of medical journals and technical journal, but the statement I made when I introduced this ordinance was prenatal, perinatal and neonatal exposure. With this substance taken enough times; Alcohol is more soluble, so your body dissipates everything you drank, within seven hours its out of your body. It’s gone. But marijuana component in there THC is fat-soluble, that’s absorbed by the fat cells in your body, and it stays there for a very long time. And the second time you smoke and get more, it builds up, its cumulative in your body. This can affect young people and it definitely affects pregnant people or women who expecting to become pregnant.”
TOWNSHIP OF PARSIPPANY-TROY HILLS MORRIS COUNTY, NEW JERSEY
RESOLUTION R2018-044:
RESOLUTION OF THE TOWNSHIP COUNCIL OF PARSIPPANY-TROY HILLS TOWNSHIP EXPRESSING ITS OPPOSITION TO PROPOSED LEGISLATION TO PERMIT THE RECREATIONAL USE OF MARIJUANA IN THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY
WHEREAS, recent news stories have indicated that the Governor of the State of New Jersey will move to legalize recreational marijuana use within bis first 100 days in office; and WHEREAS, the United States of America outlaws recreational cannabis pursuant to the Controlled Substances Act, 21 USC Section 811; and
WHEREAS, only eight states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana; and
WHEREAS, Colorado, one of the states that legalized recreational marijuana has seen an increase in documented traffic deaths involving drivers that had used marijuana (in 2013, the year before marijuana was fully legalized in Colorado, there were 55 documented traffic deaths and in 2016 the number was 125); and
WHEREAS, in 2016 the Rocky Mountain High Density Drug Trafficking Area (RMHDDTA) annual report shows that the number of medical marijuana centers in Colorado is greater than the number of Starbucks coffee shops, and the number of recreational marijuana outlets is greater than the number of McDonald’s Restaurants; and
WHEREAS, the RMHDDTA report also demonstrates that marijuana use among Colorado teens aged 12 to 17 is 74% above the national average; and
WHEREAS, medical marijuana is generally carefully controlled for the amount of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol generally referred to as “THC”; recreational marijuana, on the other hand, is specifically designed to have as much “THC” as possible; and
WHEREAS, “THC” is known to impair physical function in the user including reaction time while operating a vehicle and the user’s ability to perceive danger; and
WHEREAS, New Jersey utilizes Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) to determine whether someone is under the influence of a drug including marijuana when operating a motor vehicle and there is no current objective standard for operating under the influence of drugs like marijuana as compared to standards established for driving while intoxicated (.08%); and
WHEREAS, the enforcement of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs such as marijuana is very difficult; and
WHEREAS, many health professionals consider marijuana a “gateway” drug; and
WHEREAS, the opioid epidemic is well known to residents of the County of Morris and the State of New Jersey even though opioids are currently “legal” and available by prescription and has not been controlled and, in fact, has become an epidemic.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Township Council of the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills that its opposes legislation that would permit the recreational use of marijuana in the State of New Jersey; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Parsippany Township Clerk shall forward a certified true copy of this resolution to the Governor of the State of New Jersey, Lieutenant Governor of the State of New Jersey, the members of the Morris County Legislative Delegation, the members of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and the Mayor and Council of all municipalities within the County of Morris.
THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT THE ABOVE IS A TRUE AND LAWFUL COPY OF A RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE TOWNSHIP COUNCIL OF THE TOWNSHIP OF PARSIPPANY-TROY HILLS, COUNTY OF MORRIS, STATE OF NEW JERSEY AT ITS MEETING OF MARCH 20, 2018.
