Mercer Council Co-hosts Marijuana Forum with Rider University

On April 17th, over sixty people attended a public forum at Rider University on marijuana.  As the New Jersey legislature considers a bill to legalize the commercial use of marijuana, this forum highlighted  the expertise of three individuals:  Dr. William Kernan, Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Public Health at William Paterson University and Research Director for United for Prevention in Passaic County; Ann DeGennaro, Student Assistance Counselor at Lawrence High School and Stephen Reid, Mayor of Point Pleasant Beach and Executive Director of NJ-RAMP. 

The goal of this event was not to address whether marijuana legalization is a good or bad idea for New Jersey, but to open up a dialog in order to help policy makers understand the decisions they must face, and for all of us to learn from research on its public health implications.  The audience was made up of students, school administrators, law enforcement, public health officers, prevention specialists and other interested community members. The event was recorded and will be made available to those unable to attend.  Please contact Barbara Sprechman at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.