You’d be surprised at how few people in NJ actually use marijuana

So many people were against the legalization of marijuana here in the state of New Jersey.

They pictured a wild, wild west of pot smoking, where there would be pillows of smoke clouds in the air and the weed stench would be everywhere. As far as the odor of marijuana wafting through the streets, yes, there are places where that is prevalent.

But it’s certainly far from EVERYWHERE! In fact, it turns out that New Jersey has one of the lowest percentages in the country of people who actually smoke marijuana.

If you think you smell weed everywhere, you’re imagining it.

In fact, there were many places where you could smell marijuana way before it was legal. Particularly in big cities. And despite the fact that federally it remains a controlled substance,
people across the country have always used marijuana on a regular basis.

So how much do New Jerseyans actually smoke?

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 1.28 million people in New Jersey aged 12 and up have reportedly used marijuana in the last year – or 16.3% of the 12 and older population, the 14th lowest usage rate among states.

Marijuana is legal in New Jersey, for both recreational and medicinal use, yet we still haven’t seen the dramatic rise in the use of marijuana that all of the fearmongers expected.

NJ is pretty low down on the list but not the lowest. Dead last in the country is Texas with a 12.6% share.

More than 3 million people 12 and up have used marijuana in the last year. With a population of approximately 30 million, that’s a drop in the bucket.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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