Any tax revenue generated by government-regulated marijuana would be little more than "blood money," New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says.
The Republican said Colorado, where recreational marijuana use is legal but strictly regulated, proves the point,
the Asbury Park Press reports.
"Fact is, that we should stop those things we can stop," Christie said. "And as long as I'm governor of New Jersey, there won't be legalized marijuana in this state. And I think other states that have gone down the path of that experiment — mostly in pursuit of tax riches — have shown unless the federal government changes their mind on this, that it becomes a cash business."
"I've had many taxpayers at town hall meetings who will ask me about, why not legalize marijuana to make the taxes go a little higher?" Christie added. "To me, that's blood money. I'm not going to put the lives of children and citizens at risk to put a little more money into the state coffers, at least not on my watch."
Statistics indicate Colorado's experiment has given legal cover to street dealers peddling more potent forms of marijuana unavailable in regulated stores, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato, the newspaper reports.
"It's a sin tax," he said. "But do you really want to balance your budget on the addictions of others?"
Christie's remarks came at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a branch of Daytop, an outpatient drug abuse rehabilitation facility.
"Every bit of objective data tells us that [marijuana is] a gateway drug to other drugs," Christie said. "And it is not an excuse in our society to say that alcohol is legal so why not make marijuana legal. … Well … why not make heroin legal? Why not make cocaine legal? You know, their argument is a slippery slope."
New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform blasted Christie's remarks.
"Right now, revenue from marijuana sales goes to street corner dealers and drug cartels, which are thriving in the unregulated marketplace," the group said in a statement, the Asbury Park Press reports.
"The real harms from marijuana in [New Jersey] are the tens of thousands of lives damaged each year by the discriminatory arrest practices that have grown under Gov. Christie's watch. If the governor truly wants to reduce the harms of marijuana, he should support government regulation and control."