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Governor Signs Medical Marijuana Bill Into Law

WHO:      Governor Jon Corzine
WHAT:   Signed the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act into law
WHEN:   Monday, 01/18/10
WHERE: The governor’s office in Newark, NJ
WHY:       To protect seriously ill New Jersey patients who use marijuana with the certification of a NJ licensed physician 
 
Governor Jon Corzine signed the “New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act" (A804/S119) into law Monday, January 18, 2010.  New Jersey became the 14th state in the nation to legalize medical marijuana.  The bill was originally introduced in January, 2005 by Senator Nick Scutari.  Ken Wolski, RN, Executive Director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc. (CMMNJ) said, “We are grateful that New Jersey acknowledged that marijuana is medicine and that patients in New Jersey who use it with a doctor’s recommendation should not fear arrest and imprisonment.” 
 
The new law will remove the state-wide penalties for the possession, and use of up to two ounces of marijuana when a New Jersey licensed physician recommends it for one of the qualifying medical conditions.  Qualifying medical conditions include cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, etc.  The physician must have an on-going responsibility for the patient’s condition.  Patients will be issued ID cards in a program run by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).  Patients may designate a caregiver to assist them with obtaining and using the marijuana.  The caregiver must also register with DHSS.  The marijuana will be obtained from Alternative Treatment Centers which will be set up in the north, central and southern parts of the state, with two Centers in each region to start.  The Centers will be tightly regulated by the DHSS and the Department of Law and Public Safety, which will monitor the amount of marijuana dispensed at these Centers, much as it now monitors the way Scheduled narcotics are dispensed.  New Jersey will be unique among the 14 medical marijuana states in thatonly the Garden State will prohibit home cultivation of medical marijuana.  The law is expected to take effect in six months.
 
CMMNJ’s Wolski added that, “This is really a national issue.  New Jersey citizens should be able to travel anywhere in the country and use their medicine without fear of arrest.  We are calling on the federal government to reschedule marijuana to a more appropriate schedule, and to protect New Jersey patients who need to travel outside the state.”  
 
CMMNJ, a 501(c)(3) public charity, provides education about the benefits of safe and legal access to medical marijuana.  For more info, contact:
 
Ken Wolski, RN, MPA, Executive Director
Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc.
219 Woodside Ave., Trenton, NJ  08618
609.394.2137 www.cmmnj.org   ohamkrw@aol.com