Jersey City, NJ – Cops who use marijuana will be fired

Jersey City police officers will be fired if they use marijuana, even while off duty, Mayor Steve Fulop said. On Friday, the state’s Acting Attorney General, Matthew Platkin, said in a memo that police officers who are off-duty in New Jersey are allowed to consume cannabis and should not face disciplinary action.

Perhaps not so coincidentally, Fulop made his declaration disagreeing with the state’s position on April 20, or 4/20, the unofficial national day to celebrate marijuana. The mayor said a directive will be issued to the city’s nearly 1,000 police officers that marijuana use “will not be permitted” as the city “will pursue termination.”

“The fact is that all of the officers/recruits attest to the federal government via (Department of Justice) + (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) paperwork when they receive their firearms that they will not use any federal prohibited drugs including marijuana,” Fulop said in a tweet. “New Jersey’s policies allowing law enforcement to smoke is an outlier nationally and one that will put our officers + community at risk with impaired judgment.”

Fulop in his tweets said alcohol usage can be tracked through tests and “timelines that can create clear protection between consumption + duty.”

“It would be irresponsible to allow officers to work with impaired judgment,” Fulop said. “It will only take one blood test after a car crash or discharged weapon where an officer tests positive for trust to erode.”