February 18, 2015
A South Jersey man has joined the effort to legalize marijuana in New Jersey.
A well-connected lobbyist from Berlin Borough, Bill Caruso announced at a news conference in Newark on Wednesday a campaign by New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform (NJUMR) that will seek to "legalize, tax and regulate marijuana" in the state, the Courier-Post reports.
The campaign includes representatives from law enforcement, medical, civil rights and religious groups.
There is currently a bill before the state Legislature to legalize small amounts of marijuana for recreational use. However, it has not advanced since its introduction last year.
Gov. Chris Christie has been an advocate of changing drug laws to allow for more opportunities for treatment instead of incarceration, but he has consistently opposed marijuana legalization and has said he would veto any such bill that arrived on his desk.
"People change their minds," Caruso said. "I'm not saying that's where the governor is or will be, but we can't just stop because somebody has said, 'This is where I am.' It's our job to create a responsible debate. Our goal right now is not the State House. Our first job is articulate a message to the voting public, the taxpayers of this state, about what we're trying to accomplish and why."
Caruso is managing director of Archer Public Affairs, an affiliate of the Haddonfield law firm, Archer & Greiner.
Officials of the American Civil Liberties Union New Jersey, the NAACP State Conference of New Jersey and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition were also present at Wednesday's event.
