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Home » Drug War Chronicle » Issue #573

Medical Marijuana: New Jersey Senate to Vote on Bill Monday

by psmith, February 20, 2009, 02:00am, (Issue #573)
Posted in:

A bill that would legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes is set for a Monday vote in the New Jersey Senate. The Senate floor vote comes after the bill was approved by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee in December.

https://stopthedrugwar.org/files/cmmnj2.jpg
Jim Miller, husband of well-known patient/activist the late Cheryl Miller, at CMMNJ press conference introducing Sen. Scutari's first medical marijuana bill
The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act (SB 119) would remove state penalties for the possession, use or cultivation of a small amount of marijuana when a licensed physician recommends it for a debilitating medical condition. Qualifying medical conditions include chronic pain, cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease, among others. Patients would be issued ID cards in a program run by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). They would be permitted to grow up to six plants and possess one ounce of marijuana, but not to use their therapeutic marijuana in public or while operating motor vehicles. Patients would be able to designate a caregiver or treatment center to grow the plants for them, but the caregiver/center must also register with DHSS.

The New Jersey legislature has had medical marijuana legislation before it since 2005, when Sen. Nick Scutari (D-Linden) first introduced a bill. The bill had hearings in June 2006 and last December, when it passed out of committee on a 6-1 vote.

"The bill is very conservative," said Ken Wolski, RN, executive director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana-New Jersey. "No medical marijuana state has a smaller plant limit or possession amount. Still, it will help a tremendous number of patients here."

If the bill passes the Senate Monday, it then goes to the Assembly, where it must be approved by the health committee and then the Assembly as a whole. Gov. Jon Corzine (D) has said repeatedly that he supports medical marijuana and would sign a bill that makes it to his desk.

Permission to Reprint: This article is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license.
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Question

by Anonymous, February 20, 2009, 06:05pm

If the our national government's medical marijuana program sends marijuana to program participants in 11oz tins, should 11oz be the standard used in state models?

Medical Marijuana Act

by Anonymous, February 21, 2009, 09:07pm

I've sent an email to my State Senator. Have you ???

I've sent an email to my State Senator. Have you ???

by Anonymous, February 22, 2009, 11:59am

I most certainly have!

Oh yeah!

by Anonymous, February 23, 2009, 10:58pm

Oh yeah!

Use the whole plant

by Moonrider, February 22, 2009, 08:35pm

I hope they remember to take into account that growing plants weigh about 4 times more than the useable dried cannabis that will be harvested from them, what with the water weight and the non-useable parts (roots, stalk, stems, seeds, and what they call "shake").

The excess seeds (after keeping enough to grow the next crop) could be used as food, or have their oil extracted for cooking or biofuel; the root, stalk and stems could be sent somewhere to be used as fibers in textiles and for rope; and the "shake" could be used as a food source for grazing/browsing animals, or bedding. The whole plant can be utilized in one manner or another. Sounds like a win-win situation to me, I hope my state takes advantage of it before some other state does, we've already legalized medical marijuana and our legislature is considering a decrim bill.

I'm pro-choice on EVERYTHING!

now my mother can get medical marijuana

by Anonymous, February 24, 2009, 10:15am

thank god people in the senate see the light. that a plant can help!!

medical marijuana

by Anonymous, February 27, 2009, 02:08am

Marijuana has been used for asthma for centuries. It has proven effective in modern medical studies.

Prohibition is a joke

by Anonymous, March 03, 2009, 04:45am

they better hurry this up since too many people are being hurt by harsh marijuana penalty in new jersey for being seriously sick. The assembly is a bunch of cold hearted minions if they do not pass this & change the marijuana laws a bit.

WHEN WILL THIS HAPPEN

by Anonymous, May 20, 2009, 07:41pm

WHEN WILL ALL THIS HAPPEN MY PAIN IS GETTIN WORST AND I ALWAY SCARED TO GO BUY MY POT JUST SCARE TO GET ARREST FOR SOMETHING THAT HELP ME WITH MY PAIN SO AND CAN SLEEP ALSO I DO NOT LIKE TO TAKE PILLS GRASS IS JUST A BETTER WAYU OF MAKE ME SLEEP PAIN FREE

my asthma is acting up more

by iRockwell (not verified), September 05, 2009, 01:06pm

my asthma is acting up more than ever since i stopped smoking..but i recently had an attack smoked a lil n bang asthma gone
jersey needs to do something about this so i dont have to n if i do i will WINNNNNNNNN

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