By Michael Aron
Chief Political Correspondent
We’ve heard before that Gov. Chris Christie is against legalizing marijuana.
“This should not be permitted in our society. It sends the wrong message. Every bit of objective data we have tells us that it’s a gateway drug to other drugs,” Christie said.
States like Colorado, he said today, were motivated by the additional tax revenue.
“I have many taxpayers at town hall meetings who will ask me why not legalize marijuana to make the taxes go a little higher? To me that’s blood money,” he said.
The remarks came at a ceremony heralding the opening of a new outpatient drug treatment center.
Ocean County has become the epicenter of heroin abuse in New Jersey.
Daytop New Jersey is opening the new facility in Manahawkin.
“The disease of addiction — especially the heroin epidemic that we combat every day — is really tearing through our communities, tearing though our state. I need not tell you that our friends from the DEA often remind us that New Jersey has the dubious honor of probably having the most potent heroin in the nation,” said Daytop New Jersey President and CEO James Curtin.
“The only way to really stop the drug problem is a unified front. This facility is gonna give us the other piece of that puzzle we need — it’s the counseling, it’s the treatment,” said Stafford Township Mayor John Spodofora.
“I’ve worked in drug and alcohol 25 years and I’ve never seen so many young people using drugs,” said Daytop Ocean County Managing Director Ellen Sullivan.
Christie has a 20-year relationship with Daytop, including a stint on its board.
He has made addiction a signature issue.
First time non-violent drug offenders now go to drug court and mandatory drug treatment in every county instead of into jails and prisons.
“We put someone who’s drug-addicted into jail, we don’t treat them, we then release them and they go back into society addicted to drugs or alcohol. There should be no reason we’re surprised they then commit other crimes have other problems,” Christie said.
From here, Christie hits the road again. He has a fundraiser at the Union League in Philadelphia tonight. Tomorrow he goes to Texas for two more fundraisers in Houston and Dallas, then he gives a speech Friday night in suburban Detroit.