I believe the consequences of New Jersey’s decision as a state to legalize the adult use of marijuana for citizens aged 21 and over will be, overall, a beneficial decision for the state. As many may already know, New Jersey voters had a few questions to answer on their 2020 general election ballots this year. Voters were given questions to consider, and then asked to select either “Yes” or “No” on their ballots on whether or not they approved or disapproved of the proposed questions. 

   On the question of whether or not New Jersey residents would approve of the legalization of marijuana for personal use for people aged 21 and over, New Jersey voters overwhelmingly approved, with nearly 67% of voters voting “Yes”, compared to just about 33% who voted “No”. The total number of people who voted “Yes” was more than 2,075,000— still with even more votes to count that have not yet been tallied. 

   The consequences of this decision to legalize the drug here in the state of New Jersey will likely be mostly positive ones. The production and sale of marijuana will likely bring in hundreds of millions of dollars, providing a huge boost to New Jersey’s state economy. 

   Overall, I do not see many downsides or negatives of the decision to legalize the drug in New Jersey. -Jonah Gutterman ‘21

   Legalizing pot in New Jersey would be overdue. Pot is similar to alcohol in a sense because it is on the user using the substance to determine whether or not it is a danger to them. For example, the person has to decide if they are not drunk enough to drive. The same thing goes with pot – Josh Meyers ‘21

   In terms of legalizing pot in New Jersey, there are a couple of consequences. For one, early-use of pot can harm the brain. Cannabis consumed during adolescence can harm learning, memory development, and emotional processing. In addition, the earlier people get attached to Cannabis, the greater the possibility of those people develop substance abuse. 

   If those people aren’t able to obtain their daily amount of pot, then they will go through withdrawal. When withdrawal occurs, those people could become insane and might resort to using more hardcore drugs — like cocaine, heroin, or opioids. Constant use of those drugs could very well lead to one’s death. Also, cannabis use could lead to people engaging in inappropriate behavior. 

  Whether it’s physical, emotional, or sexual — cannabis use could make people become engrossed in risky behavior. — Ethan Mack ‘21