Gov. Corzine is slated to sign into law ‘New Jersey’s Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act‘- making the garden state the 14th state in the nation to allow medical marijuana patients the right to safe access to their medication. Two years after the bill was first introduced, the NJ State Assembly voted in favor of the bill, 48-14, and the Senate approved by a vote of 25-13. A decided victory for NJ patients rights – but nowhere near the laws passed in the 13 other states.
The NJ legislation is the strictest one yet. It limits access to only those who suffer from severe chronic conditions including “cancer, glaucoma, positive HIV/AIDS status or other chronic, debilitating diseases or medical conditions that produce, or the treatment of which produces, wasting syndrome, severe or chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, or severe and persistent muscle spasms,” according to the Senate news release. So conditions such as “stress” or “anxiety” will not make the cut. Sorry… everyone else in NJ.
Medical Marijuana. Silver Haze to be exact.
Patients who are given Medical ID cards will be able to buy up to 2 ounces of cannabis a month at state-monitored dispensaries called ‘alternative treatment centers‘. They will not be able to grow their own, and insurance will not cover the medication. It will take time for the bill to take effect, as various state divisions and departments figure out how to regulate and distribute the medicine to patients. Baby steps… Baby steps.
