New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie attended a summit Monday at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark to discuss the best ways to treat drug addiction in the United States.
The interview served as an opportunity for Christie to offer his opinion on the United States' "War on Drugs," which he views as a complete failure, according to The Star-Ledger. He also did not appear to be worried about causing outrage among GOP voters with his opinions.
"Listen, I take whatever risk I need to take if I'm telling the truth as I see it," Christie said. "The fact is: The War on Drugs was well-intentioned. It just has not worked. So, I'm not worried about turning anybody off. I want to tell people the truth."
The governor believes that instead of putting non-violent drug offenders in jail, the best way to help them with their issues is to give them proper treatment.
One of the actions Christie has taken in support of this belief was signing a bill into law in New Jersey that no longer requires first-time, non-violent drug offenders to do mandatory time in prison, which he says is a big change to the law, The Daily Caller reported.
He added, however, that decriminalizing drugs is not an option he is putting on the table.
"I just think that's the wrong path to go," Christie said. "And I think that sends the wrong message to our children. And I would not consider that. But I have considered the way we deal with the punishment aspect of it, and I think we need to go more towards the emphasis of treatment rather than incarceration for non-violent people."
Christie made it clear that he doesn't believe legalizing marijuana brings an economic benefit to the U.S., or that bringing it off the black market would bring down crime. He also said he didn't support the idea that the government could regulate marijuana the way it regulates alcohol, arguing that marijuana is a gateway drug that leads to people getting addicted to more serious drugs.
Another point Christie made about changes needed for handling drug addiction involved a more personal story - the death of one of his friends caused by an addiction to painkillers and alcohol, The Daily Caller reported. He said his friend divorced from his wife, with whom he had three daughters, and lost his driver's license and ability to work before dying six months ago. The friend was 52 years old when he was found dead in his motel room.
"This is not just about young people. This is not just about the poor. This is not just about the uneducated. This is about anyone, at anytime, who could fall victim to this," Christie said.
"And you know, I just miss my friend."
