Father who lost son to addiction: "Stop legal weed"

Joe Plumeri is arguably one of the most accomplished professionals in the world of finance. In a long career spanning decades, he has achieved incredible financial success. He's a Jersey native, born and raised in our capital city of Trenton. He's the proud owner of two minor league baseball teams, the Yankees AA team Trenton Thunder and the AA team for the Phillies, the Lakewood Blue Claws.

Joe also suffered the loss of his son 10 years ago, when his son died of medical complications from his history of drug abuse.

Why NJ marijuana taxes may not be enough

Joe, who'd been my guest recently, exemplifies that the addiction crisis can hit every town, family and income level. Joe has turned the negative into the positive work he's now doing as executive chair of the Board for the Center on Addiction. His current mission is to put the facts out regarding legalizing marijuana and stop it from happening in New Jersey

We had a lengthy discussion on the false promises from the politicians like Senator Cory Booker and Gov. Phil Murphy who tout "social justice," "tax revenue" and a reversal of the opioid epidemic.

I've written about the ridiculous assertion that there will be a tax revenue windfall and the fact that minority arrests have actually spiked up in Colorado after legalization. Joe weighed in on the fact that for young people, marijuana can be just as addictive and harmful leading to future drug problems. He is committed as I am to increasing access of patients needing medical marijuana — something very different from the Colorado model.

The fight in New Jersey will continue, and Joe is at the forefront. I told him that I'm committed to helping him and the Center on Addiction reverse the thinking among many people and politicians that legalizing recreational pot is harmless.

Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015. Tweet him @NJ1015 or @BillSpadea. The opinions expressed here are solely those of Bill Spadea.

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