Opinion: New Jersey Politicians Want You to Smoke Pot and Gamble

Government treats people like children.

If you’re going to legalize pot and sell it to everyone based on the huge revenue potential, then at the very least, give the small businesses an opportunity to make money and generate tax revenue by advertising. It's completely hypocritical to limit ads because you're worried about kids and vulnerable addicts. If Trenton wants more revenue, they are going to have to actually encourage people to smoke pot. As absurd as I find that notion, they shouldn't be hypocrites.

Let's face it, a billboard campaign is not going to make a difference one way or the other. It might drive people to one dispensary over another and create a capitalist competition, but the absurdity of N.J. legalizing weed and then hiding it in the shadows makes no sense.

And the argument that we restrict gambling ads is equally misguided. We restrict private gambling ads, but then spend public money to entice you to feed your addiction with state sponsored lottery games. Without people smoking pot, buying endless lottery tickets or spending hours at the slot machines, there won't be any revenue.

Either way, the numbers being pushed by the pols in Trenton are not even close to reality. Let's deal in facts and cut the hypocrisy. 2019 is your next opportunity. Then 2021.