Medical Marijuana passed in New Jersey State Senate

[Guest guest]

Senator Cardinale did emphasize studies concluding pot smoking kills brain

cells and there would be lack of monitoring the number of med pot plants

growing. Senator Madden complained the Bill is written in vague terms to allow

so

many medical conditions it would be an abuse similar to the Doctors in San

Diego, California, and Los Angeles, California, whom allegedly overprescribed

Cannabis for many many medical ailments. Senators Vitale and Lesniak pretty

much covered these bases. Senator Vitale said those studies which concluded

pot smoking causes brain cell death did not accurately pinpoint Cannabis as

the cause of the brain death rather than other drugs, prescription drugs, and

that people are growing pot anyway so that registering the medical pot users

would allow the police to know who are the medical pot growers.

 

Nobody addressed the " endogenous Cannabinoids " phenomenon!

 

A California State Assemblyman introduced a Bill within the past couple of

days which would legalize, regulate, and tax Cannabis/ " Marijuana " in the State

of California. We should do that here for the reasons stated in

_www.prohibitioncosts.org_ (http://www.prohibitioncosts.org/) .

 

Richard Zuckerman, (732) 354-4063

 

--- On Tue, 2/24/09, Meagan Johnson <mjohnson wrote:

 

 

Meagan Johnson <mjohnson

NJ Senate Approves Medical Marijuana

RichardZuckerman2002

Tuesday, February 24, 2009, 1:27 PM

 

 

 

Dear Richard,

 

We did it! The New Jersey State Senate approved Senate Bill No. 119, the

New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act. Thanks to your support for

this important legislation, we were able to move the bill out of the Senate

by a 22-16 margin with 2 abstentions. If you want to watch / listen to the

Senate floor debate, please visit:

_http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/media/archive_audio2.asp?KEY=S & SESSION=2008_

(http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/media/archive_audio2.asp?KEY=S & SESSION=2008)

where the Senate proceedings are archived. You

can click on “View†Senate Chambers on Feb. 23rd. The medical marijuana

discussion begins at around 28:35 / 02:48:33.

 

 

As usual, we drafted and issued a press release to make sure that this

important piece of legislation and first Senate floor vote was on everyone’s

radar

screen. Below please find the press coverage we received (in The Courier

News, Newsday, Courier Post, Star Ledger, Bergen Record, Express-Times, Press

of Atlantic City , Gloucester Co. Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Jersey

Journal) that I thought you might be interested in reading.

 

 

Again, thank you for your time and consideration and I will be following up

shortly with an e-mail that includes ways in which we can build on this

recent legislative victory and keep the bill moving.

 

 

Best,

 

Meagan

 

 

Courier-Post

 

February 24, 2009

 

Medicinal marijuana backed by Senate

 

ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

Chronically ill New Jerseyans could alleviate their suffering legally by

smoking marijuana under a bill passed Monday by the state Senate.

 

The proposal by Sen. Nicholas P. Scutari, D-Union, would allow patients with

certain chronic and terminal illnesses to grow six marijuana plants or have

marijuana grown for them at an authorized treatment center.

 

" If medical marijuana can ease some of the suffering of a patient who's

dying from a chronic, severe or terminal disease, state government should not

stand in the way of that relief, " Scutari said after the vote.

 

The 22-16 Senate vote marked the first time the bill had advanced in the

Legislature. It now goes to the New Jersey Assembly, where its fate is

uncertain.

 

If the proposal becomes law, New Jersey would become the 14th state to

allow medical marijuana.

 

Advocates say medicinal marijuana has been shown to alleviate pain and

nausea in patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, AIDS

and

HIV — the virus that causes AIDS — when other drugs fail.

 

" For the sake of our most vulnerable, our sick and dying patients struggling

for relief, now is the time for New Jersey to join the growing list of

states allowing compassionate use of medical marijuana, " said Roseanne Scotti

of

the Drug Policy Alliance, a group that supports the bill.

 

Critics say the bill would promote illegal drug use.

 

Sen. Gerald Cardinale, R-Bergen, said he opposed it because of unanswered

questions about how authorities would oversee marijuana growing inside

patients' homes.

 

Most of the states that allow it have done so through ballot referendums. In

New Jersey , the law must be changed by the Legislature.

 

States where medical marijuana is legal are: Alaska , California , Colorado

, Hawaii , Maine , Michigan , Montana , Nevada , New Mexico , Oregon , Rhode

Island , Vermont and Washington .

 

Only Hawaii , Vermont , Rhode Island and New Mexico legislatures passed

bills to legalize medical marijuana; the other states did so through voter

referendum.

 

Scotti said in New Jersey , polls show residents support the legislation by

numbers as high as 86 percent.

 

During a 2006 hearing on the bill, celebrity Montel Williams told New Jersey

lawmakers that marijuana helps alleviate chronic knee and foot pain brought

on by multiple sclerosis.

 

 

Courier News

 

February 24, 2009

 

Medicinal marijuana backed by state Senate

 

Chronically ill New Jerseyans could alleviate their suffering legally by

smoking marijuana under a bill passed Monday by the state Senate.

 

The proposal by Sen. Nicholas P. Scutari, D-Union, would allow patients with

certain chronic and terminal illnesses to grow six marijuana plants or have

marijuana grown for them at an authorized treatment center.

 

" If medical marijuana can ease some of the suffering of a patient who's

dying from a chronic, severe or terminal disease, state government should not

stand in the way of that relief, " Scutari said after the vote.

 

The 22-16 Senate vote marked the first time the bill had advanced in the

Legislature. It now goes to the New Jersey Assembly, where its fate is

uncertain.

 

If the proposal becomes law, New Jersey would become the 14th state to

allow medical marijuana.

 

Advocates say medicinal marijuana has been shown to alleviate pain and

nausea in patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, AIDS

and

HIV — the virus that causes AIDS — when other drugs fail.

 

" For the sake of our most vulnerable, our sick and dying patients struggling

for relief, now is the time for New Jersey to join the growing list of

states allowing compassionate use of medical marijuana, " said Roseanne Scotti

of

the Drug Policy Alliance, a group that supports the bill.

 

Critics say the bill would promote illegal drug use.

 

Sen. Gerald Cardinale, R-Bergen, said he opposed it because of unanswered

questions about how authorities would oversee marijuana growing inside

patients' homes.

 

Most of the states that allow it have done so through ballot referendums. In

New Jersey , the law must be changed by the Legislature.

 

States where medical marijuana is legal are: Alaska , California , Colorado

, Hawaii , Maine , Michigan , Montana , Nevada , New Mexico , Oregon , Rhode

Island , Vermont and Washington .

 

Only Hawaii , Vermont , Rhode Island and New Mexico legislatures passed

bills to legalize medical marijuana; the other states did so through voter

referendum.

 

Scotti said in New Jersey , polls show residents support the legislation by

numbers as high as 86 percent.

 

During a 2006 hearing on the bill, celebrity Montel Williams told New Jersey

lawmakers that marijuana helps alleviate chronic knee and foot pain brought

on by multiple sclerosis.

 

 

Newsday.com

NJ Senate approves medical marijuana bill

By ANGELA DELLI SANTI

Associated Press Writer

February 23, 2009

TRENTON , N.J.

Chronically ill New Jerseyans could alleviate their suffering legally by

smoking marijuana under a bill passed Monday by the state Senate.

 

The proposal by Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-Linden, would allow patients with

certain chronic and terminal illnesses to grow six marijuana plants or have

marijuana grown for them at an authorized treatment center.

 

" If medical marijuana can ease some of the suffering of a patient who's

dying from a chronic, severe or terminal disease, state government should not

stand in the way of that relief, " Scutari said after the vote.

 

The 22-16 Senate vote marked the first time the bill had advanced in the

Legislature. It now goes to the New Jersey Assembly, where its fate is

uncertain.

 

If the proposal becomes law, New Jersey would become the 14th state to allow

medical marijuana.

 

Advocates say medicinal marijuana has been shown to alleviate pain and

nausea in patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, AIDS

and

HIV _ the virus that causes AIDS _ when other drugs fail.

 

" For the sake of our most vulnerable, our sick and dying patients struggling

for relief, now is the time for New Jersey to join the growing list of

states allowing compassionate use of medical marijuana, " said Roseanne Scotti

of

the Drug Policy Alliance, a group that supports the bill.

 

Critics say the bill would promote illegal drug use.

 

Sen. Gerald Cardinale, R-Cresskill, said he opposed it because of unanswered

questions about how authorities would oversee marijuana growing inside

patients' homes.

 

Most of the states that allow it have done so through ballot referendums. In

New Jersey , the law must be changed by the Legislature.

 

States where medical marijuana is legal are: Alaska , California , Colorado

, Hawaii , Maine , Michigan , Montana , Nevada , New Mexico , Oregon , Rhode

Island , Vermont and Washington .

 

Only Hawaii , Vermont , Rhode Island and New Mexico legislatures passed

bills to legalize medical marijuana; the other states did so through voter

referendum.

 

Scotti said in New Jersey , polls show residents support the legislation by

numbers as high as 86 percent.

 

During a 2006 hearing on the bill, celebrity Montel Williams told New Jersey

lawmakers that marijuana helps alleviate chronic knee and foot pain brought

on by multiple sclerosis.

 

Williams, a registered medical marijuana user in California , said he became

an activist pushing for medical marijuana laws after being stopped at a

Detroit airport by an Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms officer for carrying drug

paraphernalia. The charge was later dropped.

 

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not

be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 

 

Star Ledger

 

Senate votes medical use of marijuana

Opposition lurks in Assembly

 

 

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

 

 

BY SUSAN K. LIVIO

 

Star-Ledger Staff

 

The state Senate voted yesterday to legalize marijuana for medical use,

despite warnings that the drug would fall into the hands of recreational users.

The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act targets patients

suffering from a debilitat ing disease defined as cancer, glau coma, HIV and

AIDS, and other chronic illnesses that cause " wasting syndrome, severe or

chronic

pain, seizures and severe and persistent muscle spasms, " according to the

bill.

" We are not talking about drug addicts and thrill-seekers -- we are talking

about desperately sick people in need of relief, " Sen. Nicholas Scutari

(D-Union), one of the bill's sponsors, said before the vote.

In order to participate, patients would need a recommendation from their

doctor and approval from the state Department of Health and Senior Services,

which would issue identification cards. Enrolled patients would be protected

from criminal prosecution to possess up to six plants or one ounce of

marijuana.

The state would also license " compassion centers " that would grow and

distribute the plants, according to the bill.

" This is a vote of conscience, " Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) said. " My

conscience tells me we should ease people's pain and suf fering, and give them

hope. ... God knows they have suffered enough. "

But Sen. Fred Madden (D- Gloucester) argued the bill's language is too

broad, and could replicate the kinds of abuses seen in San Diego and Los

Angeles

" where some doctors are giving marijuana essentially for every ailment they

could think of, " including premenstrual syndrome, attention deficit disorder

and schizophrenia, Mad den said.

Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R-Ber gen) said the legislation would " make sense " if

it had been written to benefit the most " severely debilitated patients " like

the terminally ill. As is, however, " it's the wrong thing for people in New

Jersey and the wrong thing for our children, " he said.

The Senate approved the bill 22-16 with two abstentions.

" God bless them, " Stephen Cuspilich, a 46-year-old Burlington County man

diagnosed with Crohn's disease, said after the vote.

Should the measure become law, he said access to legal marijuana would

enable him to stop taking five medications he requires to control cramping and

nausea caused by the chronic inflamma tory disease of the gastrointestinal

tract.

As someone who has used the illegal drug to quell nausea and other symptoms

associated with the chronic lung and digestive disease cystic fibrosis,

Gareth Much more, 22, of Vernon , said he prefers government to be involved

with

the testing and regulation of medical marijuana.

" If the government grew it, the potency could be controlled and the amount

could be controlled, " said Muchmore, who donned a suit and made his first trip

to the state capital to show his support for the bill. " It should be in the

hands of trusted officials, not just patients. "

New Jersey would be the 14th state to create a sanctioned medical marijuana

program if the legislation passes both houses and is signed into law by the

governor.

There's been no movement on the Assembly version of the bill, sponsored by

Assembly members Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer), Michael Patrick Carroll (R-Morris)

and Joan Voss (D-Hudson). And opponents said they are gearing up to defeat

the measure if it gains any momentum in the Assembly.

" There is no doubt in my mind the Assembly will be very cautious dealing

with this, " said John To micki, executive director of the League of American

Families. " Parents are alarmed they've given the green light for marijuana

use. "

David Evans, an attorney and executive director of the Drug Free School

Coalition, a national group, said his organization will mobilize to challenge

the

bill in the lower house. " This is dressed up as compassion but this bill is

way, way too loose, " Evans said. " It will be too easy to get marijuana. "

 

 

 

Bergen Record

 

 

N.J. may soon allow medical marijuana use

 

 

Monday, February 23, 2009

Last updated: Monday February 23, 2009, 8:27 PM

 

 

BY MARY JO LAYTON

 

NorthJersey.com

 

STAFF WRITER

 

Patients suffering from cancer, AIDS and other chronic or debilitating

illnesses could use marijuana medicinally under a bill passed by the state

Senate

today.

 

New Jersey would become the 14th state to have a medical marijuana law,

which would allow patients to keep six marijuana plants and one ounce for

personal use.

 

State Sen. Nicholas P. Scutari, D-Linden, said the legislation he sponsored

was as " an avenue of last resort " for patients suffering from nausea, chronic

pain, wasting syndrome, seizures and other ailments.

 

" This is not the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, " said

Scuteri, a lawyer and municipal prosecutor. " We're not talking about thrill

seekers and drug addicts here. "

 

Under the proposed measure, patients would have to be diagnosed by their

physicians as having a debilitating medical condition. The patient would then

obtain a photo registry card issued by the state Department of Health and

Senior Services so they could obtain marijuana from an alterative medicine

center

without fear of arrest or prosecution.

 

Supporters of the bill, including Sen. Bill Baroni, R-Mercer, offered

passionate testimony about suffering patients, including a 37-year-old father

of

three young children plagued by multiple sclerosis who found relief from

medical marijuana, not oxycotin, sleeping aids or other prescription

painkillers.

 

State Sen. Gerald Cardinale, R-Cresskill, was among several Republicans who

opposed the bill, claiming it was written too broadly. Cardinale said he

didn't object to the concept, but said that " a very small percentage " of users

in states that allow medical marijuana are patients the law is intended to aid.

 

Cardinale cited an analysis of medical marijuana patient records reviewed by

the San Diego County District Attorney, which revealed that less than three

percent of patients were suffering from AIDS, glaucoma or cancer.

Additionally, more than half of those permitted to use medical marijuana were

under age

30 and research indicates the substance is harmful..

 

" Moderate use of marijuana causes brain cells to die, " Cardinale said.

" That's why the federal government made marijuana forbidden. "

 

After the vote today, State Sen. Loretta Weinberg, a co-sponsor of the

legislation, said she supported it because it could give relief to chronically

ill patients who were not benefiting from pain-relief prescriptions.

 

Weinberg noted that this weekend was the 10th anniversary of her husband's

death following a long illness. Hospice nurses provided morphine, but her

husband wasn't able to remain conscious, said Weinberg, D-Teaneck.

 

" To get relief and still be able to communicate would have been much

better, " she said.

 

Stephen Cuspilich, 46, of Burlington County , lobbied lawmakers in support

of the measure before the vote today. Using a cane and carrying a plastic

bottle with more than a dozen prescription pain medications to ease suffering

from Crohn's Disease, he said marijuana had alleviated severe pain in his hips

and back and stopped his vomiting.

 

" It's a social issue, not a criminal issue, " said the father of three, a

union pipefitter who can no longer work due to his disability.

 

Opponents of the measure, including John Tomicki, executive director of the

League of the American Families, vowed to fight the proposal when it is

considered in the Assembly. Each member would be polled by his organization to

determine their vote prior to the election, he said. " They are going to be

called and asked 'yes' or 'no,' " he said.

 

David Evans, executive director of the Drug Free Schools Coalition, cited

the lack of scientific evidence on marijuana use and noted that several law

enforcement organizations and anti-drug groups -- including the National

Council

on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of New Jersey -- oppose the bill.

 

" The majority of people who are getting it are using it for back pain,

insomnia and other minor problems, " Evans said. " The standards for who gets it

are

very loose. "

 

However, the public typically supports legalizing marijuana for chronically

ill patients, said Roseanne Scotti , director of Drug Policy Alliance New

Jersey.

 

" It's polled as high as 86 percent in favor, Scotti said. " Everybody

understands this could be me, my loved one, she said. " It's the option

everybody

would want. "

 

The bill passed 22 to 16, mostly along partisan lines. Five Republicans

voted for it. Two Essex County senators abstained from voting. It was unclear

this afternoon when the Assembly might consider the legislation.

 

The Express-Times

New Jersey Senate approves medical marijuana bill

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

 

 

By Trish G. Graber

 

The Express-Times

 

TRENTON | The state Senate voted Monday to legalize the use of marijuana for

medicinal purposes, a huge step toward making New Jersey the 14th state to

allow residents with serious debilitating conditions to use it for relief.

" We aren't talking about thrill-seekers or drug addicts here, " said Sen.

Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, the bill sponsor. " We are talking about very sick

people who are in desperate need of relief.

" These people are not criminals and it does not behoove us as a society to

treat them as such. "

The legislation passed 22-16 with two abstentions. The Assembly has yet to

consider the bill. Gov. Jon Corzine has said he would sign it if it made it to

his desk.

The measure would give residents, with a doctor's recommendation, the

ability to obtain a registration card from the state Department of Health and

Senior Services to use marijuana for medicinal purposes without the threat of

arrest, prosecution or penalty.

Those approved by the state department could possess up to six marijuana

plants and one usable ounce of marijuana. Patients could grow at home or buy

from an alternative treatment center designated to grow and distribute the

drug.

Patients under age 18 could also seek eligibility from the state with

permission of a parent or guardian.

Emotions run strong

The measure set off a range of emotions from those on both sides of the

issue. Supporters, both Democrats and Republicans, said the legislation would

give health care professionals options in treating the pain and suffering of

patients, many of whom face terminal diseases.

But opponents said the lack of regulation over the use of marijuana, with no

prescriptions needed and little oversight over registrants growing the

plant, could make it too easily available and open the door to wide-ranging

abuse.

 

Sen. Fred Madden, a former acting superintendent of the New Jersey State

Police, said he thinks the bill is so broad someone with a migraine or back

strain could access what the federal government classifies as a Schedule I drug

alongside heroin and GHB, the date-rape drug.

" For the people that really need it, I'd love to be able to support it, "

said Madden, D-Gloucester. " But I can't in good conscience. "

Sen. Marcia Karrow, R-Warren/Hunterdon, also voted against the bill.

" I believe that if it's truly medicinal that it should go through the " U.S.

Food and Drug Administration,' she said. " It should be dispensed through a

pharmacy for those in pain and suffering, through a safer venue, with

prescriptions, packaged safely and hitting the right target area. "

Doctor's note needed

Scutari said the state registry would give law enforcement the ability to

monitor growers. Patients who apply to the state would also need a doctor's

recommendation for the treatment of a condition that causes severe or chronic

pain, severe nausea, seizures, or severe and persistent muscle spasms.

That would include someone with cancer, glaucoma, HIV or AIDS.

" We're not talking about the legalization of pot, " said Sen. Jim Whelan,

D-Atlantic, also a bill sponsor. " But rather about giving suffering New

Jerseyans a small bit of comfort in what could be their final days. "

Supporters of the bill who canvassed the Statehouse on Monday saw a major

victory in the Senate's passage of the " New Jersey Compassionate Use of Medical

Marijuana Act. "

" It's a matter of life and death for me, " said Stephen Cuspilich, a resident

of Willingboro Township, Burlington County, who was diagnosed in 1994 with

Crohn's disease, which causes inflammation of the digestive tract.

Cuspilich said approval of the bill would allow him to cut out five of the

six prescription medications he takes each day to relieve the pain and

symptoms caused by his disorder.

Assembly has yet to act

Opponents, who believe approval of the bill will lead to legalization of

additional drugs, said the Senate passage was only one step in a long process.

The Assembly, where all 80 members are up for re-election in November, has yet

to consider the bill.

The group Safe Approved Medicine for New Jersey , made up of law enforcement

officials and other opponents of the bill, announced it would continue

pressing legislators to vote against the bill.

" Marijuana is not medicine, " the group's Terrence Farley said.

While federal law prohibits marijuana use, Alaska, California, Colorado,

Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island,

Vermont and Washington permit its use for medical purposes. Arizona doctors are

permitted to prescribe marijuana.

A companion to the Senate bill has been introduced in the Assembly and

referred to the Health and Senior Services Committee where it has yet to be

considered.

Trish Graber is Trenton correspondent for The Express-Times. She can be

reached at 609-292-5154.

 

 

Press of Atlantic City

 

 

State Senate gives OK to medical marijuana

 

By DEREK HARPER Statehouse Bureau, 609-292-4935

(Published: Tuesday, February 24, 2009)

 

TRENTON - New Jersey took a step toward becoming the 14th state to legalize

marijuana for medicinal purposes Monday, when the state Senate voted 22-16 to

allow doctors to prescribe the drug to patients diagnosed with painful,

debilitating medical conditions such as multiple sclerosis or cancer.

In the Assembly, the bill remains in front of the Health and Senior Services

Committee. With that house up for election, the issue, seen by some as

controversial, may not get a vote prior to November.

While Senate Democrats generally favored the bill, four Republicans voted

for it and three Democrats voted against it. Two others, state Sens. Nia Gill,

D-Essex, Passaic , and Ronald Rice, D-Essex, were present but did not vote.

Advocates said afterward they were gratified by the vote.

As Stephen Cuspilich walked away from the Legislature with the help of his

cane, he told The Press of Atlantic City, when asked about the bill, " Thank

God. I'm a full believer of it. "

Cuspilich, who has been diagnosed with Crohn's disease, said prescriptions

to treat it led to a host of degenerative conditions. He pulled an orange

prescription bottle from his pocket and shook the more than a dozen pills into

his other hand. " With the passage of this bill, I'd do away with four of these

prescriptions, " he said. " I just thank God that this is being considered and

hope by the grace of God it will go. "

Others remained opposed.

Joyce Nalepka, president of the Silver Spring, Md.-based DrugFree Kids:

America 's Challenge, said, " There is no therapeutic use of this, and this is a

bill based on a lie. " Furthermore, she warned that marijuana has grown more

potent in recent decades, making it even more dangerous.

Under the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, qualified

patients would be issued registration cards from the state Department of Health

and Senior Services.

Patients would be allowed to have six marijuana plants and an ounce of

usable marijuana and also would have access to " alternative treatment centers "

where they could receive usable marijuana.

Patients would be banned from smoking in public or while operating vehicles.

The bill would not require public or private health insurers to reimburse

patients for medicinal marijuana, nor would it require employers to allow

patients to smoke at work.

Most of the 13 states that permit the use of marijuana for medicinal

purposes are western states such as Alaska , Montana , Arizona and California ,

although Vermont and Maine on the East Coast also allow it.

Local legislators generally supported the measure.

State Sen. Jim Whelan, D-Atlantic, who cosponsored the bill, said he thought

it would be more controversial than it was.

And while some worried about what message the bill gave to children, Whelan,

who teaches swimming to Atlantic City fifth- and sixth-grade students, said,

" They know about marijuana. They have to be clear that this is a medicine.

You don't take it unless you're sick. "

State Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, said it was one

of the toughest votes he faced, as a host of friends and family members of

affected people called his office to lobby for it.

But while he voted for it, he had concerns he said sponsor Sen. Nicholas S

cutari, D-Middlesex, Somerset , Union , agreed to address before the Assembly

takes it up.

Van Drew said he wanted to keep from encouraging smoking, generally, and

wanted to eliminate the provision in which patients grow their medication by

requiring them to buy their supplies from alternative treatment centers.

Van Drew, a dentist, said he wanted to ensure only the people targeted by

the bill have the drug. Besides, he said, " People don't formulate their own

morphine. "

State Sen. Chris Connors, R-Ocean, Burlington , Atlantic , voted no, saying

he was not convinced the benefits outweighed the law-enforcement concerns.

For instance, he wondered how the provision to allow patients to grow six

plants could be enforced or regulated.

Furthermore, he said nothing in the bill suggested dosage levels or how that

could be regulated. With reports of the long-term potential harm, he said,

" That's just not something that I could support. "

E-mail Derek Harper:

_DHarper_ (DHarper)

How your lawmakers voted

Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland , Atlantic : Yes

Jim Whelan, D-Atlantic: Yes

Stephen M. Sweeney, D-Cumberland, Salem , Gloucester : Yes

Christopher J. Connors, R-Ocean, Burlington , Atlantic : No

 

GLOUCESTER CO. TIMES

 

 

N.J. senate approves medical marijuana

 

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

 

 

By Trish G. Graber tgraber

 

TRENTON The state Senate voted Monday to legalize the use of marijuana for

medicinal purposes, taking a huge step toward making New Jersey the 14th state

in the nation to allow residents with serious debilitating conditions to use

the drug for relief.

 

" We aren't talking about thrill-seekers or drug addicts here we are talking

about very sick people who are in desperate need of relief, " said Sen.

Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, the bill sponsor. " These people are not criminals,

and

it does not behoove us as a society to treat them as such. "

 

The legislation passed by a 22 to 16 vote. The Assembly has yet to consider

the bill, although Gov. Jon S. Corzine has said he would sign the measure if

it reached his desk.

 

The measure would give residents with a doctor's recommendation the ability

to obtain a registration card from the state Department of Health and Senior

Services to use marijuana for medicinal purposes without the possibility of

arrest, prosecution or penalty.

 

Those approved by the department could possess up to six marijuana plants

and one usable ounce of marijuana, grown at home or obtained from an

alternative treatment center a facility that would be designated to grow and

distribute the drug.

 

Patients under the age of 18 could also seek eligibility from the state with

the permission of a parent or guardian.

 

The measure set off a range of emotions from those on both sides of the

issue. Supporters, both Democrats and Republicans, said the legislation would

grant options to health care professionals in treating the pain and suffering

of their patients, many of whom face terminal diseases.

 

But opponents said the lack of regulation over the use of marijuana, with no

prescriptions needed and little oversight over registrants growing the

plant, could make it too easily available, opening the door to wide-ranging

abuses.

 

Sen. Fred Madden, who previously served as acting superintendent of the New

Jersey State Police, said he thinks the legislation is so broadly written

that someone with a migraine or a back strain could get access to a supply of

marijuana.

 

" For the people who really need it, I'd love to be able to support it, " said

Madden, D-4, of Washington Township . " But I can't in good conscience. "

 

" I believe that, if it's truly medicinal, it should go through the FDA, "

added Sen. Marcia Karrow, R-Warren/Hunterdon, referring to the federal Food and

Drug Administration. " It should be dispensed through a pharmacy for those in

pain and suffering through a safer venue, with prescriptions, packaged

safely, and hitting the right target area. "

 

Scutari said that the state registry would give law enforcement offiers the

ability to monitor growers, should an issue arise. Patients who apply to the

state would also need a doctor's recommendation for the treatment of a

condition that causes severe or chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, or

severe

and persistent muscle spasms.

 

That would include patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma, HIV or AIDS.

 

" We're not talking about the legalization of pot, " said Sen. Jim Whelan,

D-Atlantic, also a bill sponsor. " But, rather, about giving suffering New

Jerseyans a small bit of comfort in what could be their final days. "

 

State Senate passage of the " New Jersey Compassionate Use of Medical

Marijuana Act " is a major victory for supporters who canvassed the State House

on

Monday.

 

" It's a matter of life and death for me, " said Stephen Cuspilich, a resident

of Willingboro Township in Burlington County , who was diagnosed with

Crohn's disease in 1994. Crohn's causes inflammation of the digestive tract.

 

Cuspilich said approval of the bill would allow him to cut out five of the

six prescription medications that he takes each day to relieve the pain and

symptoms caused by his disorder, many which have health impacts that he said

are wearing away at his body.

 

But opponents, who believe that approval of the bill would result in the

legalization of additional drugs, said the Senate passage was only one step in

a long process. The Assembly, where all 80 members are up for re-election in

November, has yet to consider the measure.

 

Terrence Farley represents a group called Safe Approved Medicine for New

Jersey , which is made up of law enforcement officials and other opponents of

the bill. Farley said he will continue to press legislators to vote against

it.

 

" Marijuana is not medicine, " said Farley.

 

While federal law prohibits marijuana use, Alaska, California, Colorado,

Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island,

Vermont, and Washington permit its use for medical purposes. Doctors in Arizona

are permitted to prescribe marijuana.

 

A companion to the bill (S-119) has been introduced in the Assembly and

referred to the Health and Senior Services Committee where it has yet to be

considered.

 

 

Philadelphia Inquirer

 

 

Posted on Tue, Feb. 24, 2009

 

N.J. Senate backs legalizing medical marijuana

Associated Press

 

TRENTON - The New Jersey Senate passed a bill yesterday that would give

chronically ill patients legal access to marijuana. The 22-16 vote followed

about

15 minutes of discussion on the floor.

Advocates say medicinal marijuana has been shown to alleviate pain and

nausea in patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, and

HIV/AIDS when other drugs fail. Critics say the measure would condone and

promote

illegal drug use.

The Assembly has not considered the measure. If the legislation becomes law,

New Jersey will be the 14th state to allow medicinal marijuana. – AP

 

Jersey Journal

Medical marijuana bill advances

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

 

TRENTON - Chronically ill New Jerseyans could alleviate their suffering

legally by smoking marijuana under a bill passed yesterday by the state Senate.

The proposal by Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-Linden, would allow patients with

certain chronic and terminal illnesses to grow six marijuana plants or have

marijuana grown for them at an authorized treatment center.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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