Freeholder Says Pot Is More Addictive Than Cocaine: Report

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Ocean County Freeholder Director Gerry P. Little called marijuana is more addictive than cocaine on Wednesday, according to a report.

The Asbury Park Press reported Little made the comparison at the Ocean County Board of Freeholders meeting as he explained a resolution by the freeholders opposing the legalized commercial sale of recreational marijuana.

The resolution comes in response to Gov. Phil Murphy's plan to legalize recreational marijuana in New Jersey. However, a resolution by the freeholders does not carry enforcement authority.

In an audio recording posted by the Asbury Park Press, Little said the freeholders' opposition is based in part because marijuana continues to be illegal under the federal Controlled Substance Act of 1970 and classified as a Schedule 1 drug by the Drug Enforcement Agency.

Schedule 1 drugs are those considered to be highly susceptible to abuse and for which there is no accepted medical use, according to the DEA. Cannabis, from the Latin name for the plant, is listed as a Schedule 1 drug in part because of its mind-altering qualities. Little said that puts marijuana in the same category as Ecstacy, psilobin (mushrooms), and heroin, with a high potential for psychological abuse.

“As an example, cocaine is a ‘Schedule 2 drug,’ which is less addictive,” Little said.

Cocaine is listed as a Schedule 2 drug, but the DEA says it has that listing because there is an accepted, though rarely prescribed, medical use for the drug. Cocaine is still considered highly susceptible to abuse by the DEA.

The Asbury Park Press reported that Freeholders John Bartlett III, Joseph Vicari and Virginia Haines also voiced opposition to the sale of recreational marijuana because of concerns that it would add to the opiate crisis, calling it a gateway drug.

Bartlet also said Murphy's plan to get tax money from the sale of marijuana by creating a state bank is preposterous, the report said. Because the sale of marijuana in any form is still against federal law, they cannot be deposited in federally insured banks.

Little's statements go farther than those made in any of the towns so far where towns have passed or introduced ordinances to block the growth or sale of recreational marijuana. In Toms River, the ordinance that's slated for approval at the Feb. 13 council meeting was introduced with concerns expressed about the sales drawing crime to the area. Berkeley Township and Point Pleasant Beach have banned recreational retail sales. Seaside Heights and Lavallette have been discussing it, as of January.

Read more of the Asbury Park Press report here.

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