Medical Marijuana: Mid-Atlantic Movement as Delaware, New Jersey Bills Win Committee Votes

Submitted by Phillip Smith on (Issue #588)
Drug War Issues
Politics & Advocacy

Medical marijuana is on the move in the Mid-Atlantic region, as bills to legalize its use passed committee votes in Delaware Wednesday and New Jersey Thursday. The New Jersey bill is well-advanced, having already passed the state Senate, while in Delaware, Wednesday's vote was the first test of legislative sentiment.

In New Jersey, the Assembly Health Committee passed the bill, the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, on a 7-1 vote, but only after making it dramatically different from and more restrictive than the version passed by the Senate. At the behest of committee chair Herb Conaway (D-Burlington), who was responding to criticism that the bill's distribution and oversight provisions weren't tight enough, the bill was amended so that only "alternative treatment centers" could grow, process, and distribute medical marijuana.

In the version passed by the Senate, patients could also grow their own or have caretakers grow it for them. In this latest version, there is no role for caretakers, because it also provides that only patients may pick up medical marijuana at a dispensary, or have a courier deliver it to them.

"This bill will be the most restrictive in the nation,'' said Sen. Joseph Scutari (D-Union), the bill's original sponsor. The bill may be too restrictive, he added.

The bill now heads for a floor vote in the Assembly. It also must go back to the Senate, which must approve the amended version.

One day earlier and one state to the south, the Delaware Senate Health and Social Services Committee approved Senate Bill 94, the Delaware Medical Marijuana Act, authored by Sen. Margaret Rose Henry (D-Wilmington East), the committee chair.

That bill would allow people with serious diseases to use medical marijuana with their physician's approval. The bill sets up an ID card system and a dispensary network. Patients could also grow and possess their own medicine, up to 12 plants and six ounces.

Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

Comments

Anonymous (not verified)

I see the NJ Legislature is setting it up so the Medical MJ patients will have to BUY their medicine from some brother-in law company of some legislator at PRIME cost. Thieves all.

Fri, 06/05/2009 - 3:29pm Permalink

The movement is being betrayed. Since the first petition to Re-Legalize was launched by the Beatles 42 years ago the goal has always been to allow everyone the right to grow Mother Natures favorite plant -- quite possibly a plant that might just heal all nations by destroying the planets terrorist organizations and drug cartels. But instead there is a "bait and switch" going on.

MERP is the answer:

MERP Headquarters
The Marijuana Re-Legalization Policy Project (MRPP)
http://www.newagecitizen.com/MERP.htm

This essay will give a better perspective on what is really going on:

How the Marijuana Re-Legalization Movement Has Been Betrayed by Soros, Nadleman (DPA) and Kampia (MPP)
http://www.newagecitizen.com/MERP/RelegalizeNowObama08.htm

Time to wake up and demand our inalienable right to cultivate and consume Cannabis without ANY government taxation, regulation or other forms of interference. Our very liberties are at stake here.

Bruce W. Cain

Sat, 06/06/2009 - 1:11pm Permalink
Breezy (not verified)

my mistake

[email protected]

Thank you

Breezy

"get up, stand up, stand up for your rights" Bob Marley

Sun, 06/07/2009 - 4:16am Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

they really need to make it leagl for everyone too grow up too like 12 plants for people that dont have cards ether the world would be out of debt and everyone would be high and happy.

Sat, 08/29/2009 - 4:28pm Permalink

Add new comment


Source URL: https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2009/jun/05/medical_marijuana_midatlantic_mo