Bishop Jethro James of Newark’s Paradise Baptist Church is a member of incoming Governor Phil Murphy’s Law and Justice transition committee, Save Jerseyans.
That made it all the more interest when Bishop James, at a Monday MLK Day service (where Murphy was reportedly in attendance), declared strongly against legalized marijuana, proclaiming “[y]ou legalize marijuana and you are going to gut the best and the brightest in minority neighborhoods.”
Phil Murphy strongly supported legalizing marijuana throughout his 2017 gubernatorial campaign….
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What was that about pot legalization inevitability in New Jersey? The Bishop is throwing it down right now.
Keep in mind this is the most prominent service for MLK day in New Jersey. We are building a movement @RAMP_NJ
@PhilMurphyNJ must be shaking pic.twitter.com/N5HyPfefnv
— Kevin Sabet (@KevinSabet) January 15, 2018
Bishop Jethro James is also a member of @GovMurphy’s transition team. @RAMP_NJ https://t.co/NsZJGsNCQN
— Jeanette Hoffman (@JeanetteNJ) January 15, 2018
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Support for some form of legalization (and anticipated new revenues from pot taxes) is strong in Trenton, though the critical what/how/when questions remain much less clear and hotly debated.
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