Under a new law, parents of children under the age of 18 in the state of New Jersey will now be notified of their child’s first offense with cannabis or alcohol.
A previous version of the legislation only required police officers to notify parents after the second offense and any subsequent offenses. The new bill now requires parents to be notified after the first offense, a position that has been contentious in the state. When recreational cannabis was legalized in New Jersey, part of the law prohibited police officers from notifying parents of their child’s cannabis or alcohol offense until Governor Phil Murphy changed his opinion on that point.
“Marijuana was legalized for adults, not for children or teenagers,” Senator Vin Gopal said. “Parents need to be notified if their underage child is using marijuana or alcohol so they can take the appropriate steps to protect them from the potential, harmful effects of substance use at young ages and to help them make responsible decisions. Allowing parents to remain involved and informed can help to make sure that first time offenders do not become repeat offenders.”
New Jersey voted to legalize recreational cannabis in February, when Governor Murphy signed three bills into law, one of them dealing with underage possession. With that law, anyone under the age of 21 who was found with cannabis or alcohol would be issued a written warning, but their parents would not be notified until the second offense.
The new law is a compromise between Governor Murphy, who wanted penalties for underaged possession, and some lawmakers who believed the law as written would increase police interactions with young people of color. Legislators who sponsored the measure believe the updated law would further discourage underage possession and use of cannabis and alcohol, while other lawmakers believe parental notification for any offense is “common sense.”
