Just before noon on Tuesday, January 16, 2018, Philip Dunton Murphy stood on stage in the Patriots eater at the War
Memorial in Trenton, NJ and placed his hand on the Bible. Having spent the last two years on the the campaign trail, the day
had finally come for Murphy to be sworn in as Governor of the Garden State.
e proceedings had a ring of sentimentality to them, as the Bible Murphy choose to be sworn in on was the same Bible used
in 1960 for the swearing in of his political idol John F. Kennedy. Murphy credits his own belief in social justice and economic
fairness to the examples set by his brother, Robert, and President Kennedy himself.
Murphy spent much of 2016 and 2017 craing his platform with these ideals in mind. His speeches brimmed with promises
of a "stronger and fairer New Jersey," one with high-wage jobs, affordable community colleges, increased funding for public
schools, as well as assistance for small businesses and affordable housing that is safe from the dangers of lead. is focus on
fairness is also what informs Murphy's opinions on marijuana.
"e criminalization of marijuana has only served to clog our courts and cloud people's futures, so we will legalize marijuana.
Will They
Or Won't They
New Jersey's Relationship with Marijuana | BY BRENNA HOLLAND
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