Jersey City police officers fired for using recreational marijuana file 2nd lawsuit

Officer Norhan Mansour and Officer Omar Polanco are taking legal action against the city for refusing to reinstate them.

Matt Trapani

Feb 29, 2024, 1:27 AM

Updated 222 days ago

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A new lawsuit was filed on Wednesday from two Jersey City police officers who were kicked off the force for using recreational marijuana.
Officer Norhan Mansour and Officer Omar Polanco are taking legal action against the city for refusing an order from the Civil Service Commission to reinstate them.
The pair filed a different lawsuit in November that argued that their firing was illegal because the city’s ban goes against state law.
A spokesperson for the city wrote in a statement, "The same week that the Jersey Journal is appointing Jersey City as the 'Weed Capital' of New Jersey, citing the administration’s leadership in implementing new cannabis laws, this lawsuit tries to claim that the same administration is not following the new cannabis laws. I think that speaks for itself, in addition to the fact that we continue to wait for a ruling from the Civil Service Commission and the courts addressing the issue at hand of putting police officers and communities around the state at serious risk with zero guidance on how to uphold conflicting state and federal laws."
Police officers are allowed to consume recreational marijuana while off duty in the state of New Jersey. But Jersey City officials have barred its officers from consuming legal cannabis because they state that under federal law, those who use marijuana are not allowed to possess firearms.