New Jersey reaches medical marijuana agreement

PHILADELPHIA | Fri Dec 3, 2010 6:54pm EST

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) -- New Jersey moved on Friday to implement a law legalizing medical use of marijuana for critically ill patients.

An agreement between Republican Governor Chris Christie and the law's Democratic sponsor is designed to avoid the fraud and the criminal use of the drug which critics say have affected some 15 other U.S. states where it has been legalized.

The accord resolves a dispute that delayed implementation.

In a change to previous regulations, the agreement allows for six treatment centers -- up from two originally proposed by Christie -- that would be allowed to dispense and grow medical marijuana. Home delivery and satellite locations for the centers will not be permitted.

It also stipulates certain "debilitating conditions" for which medical marijuana can be prescribed but only after conventional therapies have been exhausted.

The agreement preserves an earlier proposal that prescribed marijuana should have a maximum 10 percent of THC, the main substance in the cannabis plant that affects mental function.

It also requires physicians to have an ongoing relationship with the patient for whom the drug is prescribed.

"This is a reasonable and fair resolution that will keep implementation of the program on track without unnecessary delay," said Democratic Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, the primary sponsor of the law that was signed by former Governor Jon Corzine.

Governor Christie said the pact will speed relief for patients suffering serious illnesses.

"We are protecting the interests of all residents of New Jersey by preventing some of the abuses we have seen in other states," he said in a statement.

(Reporting by Jon Hurdle; Editing by Jerry Norton)
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Comments (1)
mbays wrote:
Correction .. Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, only one of the legislative sponsors on the NJ medical marijuana law, reached a back room agreement with Governor Christie that means that the Dept of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) will correct two major errors they made in writing regulations for the law’s implementation. There are still many more discrepancies between the draft regulations and the law itself. The Senate still has a resolution pending to reject the draft regulations completely and many of us are still working hard to try to make sure that there is a sensible implementation plan, one that can actually result in provision of medical marijuana to qualified patients. Make no mistake, what you are hearing in the Governor’s press releases is only hype. Governor Christie is still championing restrictions that would render the medical marijuana program in the state almost completely useless. He is blocking free trade, refusing to base the guidelines on scientific fact and, overall, shows no compassion to the thousands of NJ residents that are waiting for legalization of their medicine.

Dec 04, 2010 3:46pm EST  --  Report as abuse
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