asbury park press front page thursday, feb. 19 2015

NEWARK Five years ago, Jon-Henry Barr

said, he never imagined he would be stand-

ing with a group of people advocating the le-

galization of marijuana. Barr, who described

himself as a lifelong, fiscally conservative

Republican, said his experiences as a muni-

cipal prosecutor in Clark have changed his

mind. The war on marijuana is a govern-

ment program that does not work and is not

needed, Barr said. It is time for a new ap-

proach to New Jerseys marijuana laws.

Barr, president of the New Jersey Municipal

Prosecutors Association, was one in a di-

verse group of people on Wednesday

Prosecutors, civil rights

advocates, doctors form

group for legalization,

taxation of marijuana

KATHLEEN HOPKINS @KHOPKINSAPP

PRO-LEGALIZATION

$127 million a year would no longer bespent on enforcing marijuana laws in New Jersey. Regulating and taxing the sale of marijuanawould generate more than $100 million in annualrevenue. It would take the marijuana trade out of the hands ofstreet corner drug dealers. About 21,000 people a year would not be exposed tocriminal records and other repercussions of being arrest-ed for marijuana possession.

ANTI-LEGALIZATION

It would be difficult to determine if motorists are underthe influence of marijuana. It could increase the likelihood of children being ex-posed to marijuana in the household and, possibly, in-gesting it by mistake. It would send a bad message to young people.

See GROUP, Page A4

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