WILDWOOD – Marijuana legalization, signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy Feb. 22, is not sitting well with Wildwood’s police chief.
“The pendulum has swung the full way in the opposite direction,” Chief Robert Regalbuto told the Wildwood Board of Commissioners March 10. “It’s a new day in law enforcement. Clearly, it’s one that’s telling me I need to find a different profession because I absolutely do not support this.”
In November 2020, 67% of New Jersey voters, who answered a ballot question asking their position on recreational weed, voted in favor of legalization; 65.9% of voters in Cape May County were in favor.
The bill was criticized by law enforcement, in part because ittakes away their ability to legally use the smell of weed as a cause to escalate police interaction and limits their ability to contact parents of juveniles they interact with who are intoxicated.
“It is not something that anyone in law enforcement supports. We don’t have a problem with the decriminalization of it, but the absolute legalization is going to cause major issues,” Regalbuto said.
The bill allows marijuana and hashish to be purchased legally in New Jersey and decriminalizes possession up to six ounces. Besides dispensaries requiring a medical referral, no stores to purchase cannabis are currently open in the state, and growing one’s own weed remains illegal.
“It is going to definitely have a dramatic impact on us this summer with our beaches and the boardwalk,” Regalbuto said. “Beaches and the boardwalk are non-smoking, but the way the law is written, it is going to be very difficult for us to enforce.”
In 2020, police departments across the county had difficulty staffing summer officers because of the pandemic, causingthe police academy’s closure, where Class II officers are trained.
Regalbuto said he expects staffing problems, though he thinks it will be better than last year.
“Unfortunately, the hands of law enforcement are handcuffed when it comes to enforcing those laws,” he added.
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