New Jersey governor Chris Christie was once considered to be a viable contender for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. Then Bridgegate happened. And allegations of using public funds to buy snacks at Metlife Stadium. And his pension reform. Now, his recent comments about how he would handle legalized marijuana in Colorado and Washington if he were to become president have pushed his White House dreams even further into the distance.
“If I’m President, I’ll Crack Down on Colorado Marijuana Laws”
Governor Christie discussed his views about legalized marijuana at the state level during a recent interview with John Dickerson on CBS’ Face the Nation. When asked if he would return the federal prosecution of marijuana sale and possession in states where it has been legalized, Christie replied with a curt “yes.” Following this question, Dickerson asked if Christie would attempt to end the legal sale of marijuana in these states during his presidency, to which Christie replied, “correct.”
Governor Christie is known to state his views openly and directly, no matter how others may perceive them. Later in this interview, he went on to say that he would not sugarcoat his views while campaigning in Colorado – Christie is against legalized marijuana and he’s not afraid to say it.
“You go out and tell people the truth and you lay out your ideas and you either win or you lose,” he said. Remember, when New Jersey’s coastline was being ravaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012, this is the guy whose instructions were “get the hell off the beach.”
Christie’s Record in New Jersey
Governor Christie has a long record of opposing legalized recreational marijuana in New Jersey. In 2014, he made the following comments during a radio interview on NJ 101.5:
“I don’t care about the tax money that may come from it and I don’t care if people think it’s inevitable. It’s not inevitable here. I’m not going to permit. Never — as long as I’m governor.”
Ouch. In a state as expensive as New Jersey, the potential tax revenue from legalized marijuana is something that a lot of its residents, (48%, according to a recent Monmouth University poll) care quite a bit about. He went on to compare New Jersey to Colorado, where the sale of recreational marijuana has resulted in $53 million in tax revenue.
“Go to Colorado and see if you wanna live there. Head shops popping up on every corner and people flying in just to get high.”
America’s View of Christie
A national poll conducted in 2014 showed that approximately half of Americans recognize Chris Christie and roughly one quarter of those polled “liked him somewhat” or “liked him a lot.”
Although he has not officially declared that he plans to run for president, Christie has not officially denied that he’ll run. If he does, he faces considerable opposition from voters throughout the United States. Recent web polls that asked for users’ opinions about various public figures, juxtaposing images of fictional villains against actual presidential hopefuls, found that Chris Christie was consistently one of the lowest-rated public figures. America likes Darth Vader and Voldemort better than it likes Chris Christie, but at least he scored higher than Donald Trump. That’s gotta be worth something, right?
Photo Credit: New Jersey National Guard
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