Off-duty cops in NJ can smoke weed without getting fired: AG

[orthene]

https://nypost.com/2022/04/15/off-duty-cops-in-nj-can-smoke-weed-without-getting-fired/

The boys in blue are free to smoke some green in the Garden State.

Off-duty police officers in New Jersey are allowed to get high on the state’s legal weed without facing discipline, according to acting Attorney General Matthew Platkin.

Platkin sent a memo to police chiefs Wednesday detailing the policy —  which allows officers 21 and older to consume cannabis in all forms while off the job — a week before recreational pot hits the shelves in the state, according to the memo.

“[Police departments] may not take any adverse action against any officers because they do or do not use cannabis off duty,” the memo states, as a reminder to comply with the Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy.

The memo adds that a weed-tainted urine test isn’t cause for firing a cop.

“An employee shall not be subject to any adverse action by an employer solely due to the presence of cannabinoid metabolites in the employee’s bodily fluid,” it states.

By contrast, NYPD honchos have said they don’t want their officers to go pot — forbidding marijuana use among off-duty cops despite the drug’s legalization in the Empire State last year.

“With regard to recently passed state legislation that legalized the recreational use of marijuana, uniformed and civilian members of the service are reminded that the use of marijuana is still strictly prohibited,” said a memo sent by the commanding officer of the NYPD medical division last April.

In March 2021, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, allowing adults 21 and over to light up.

The law also prohibits New York employers from discriminating against workers for weed use outside of work —  though that stipulation may not apply to all government employees, such as law-enforcement officers.

“All existing patrol guide procedures regarding its prohibition as well as drug screening procedures remain in effect. Members are reminded that they must be fit for duty at all times,” the memo stated.

Voters in New Jersey approved a constitutional amendment allowing the recreational sale of cannabis to people 21 and older in November 2020. Sales at retail shops are set to begin April 21.