cannabisnews.com: NJ Lawmakers To Debate Medical Marijuana Bill





NJ Lawmakers To Debate Medical Marijuana Bill
Posted by CN Staff on May 22, 2008 at 05:23:13 PT
By Angela Delli Santi, Associated Press Writer
Source: Associated Press
New Jersey -- Patients suffering from cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and other life-threatening illnesses would be allowed to use marijuana to alleviate their symptoms under a measure to be considered Thursday by New Jersey lawmakers.The Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act is scheduled to be debated before an Assembly health panel. Twelve states already allow the use of medical marijuana for chronically ill patients.
The measure would permit certain patients to register with the Department of Health and Human Services to legally possess and use the drug, which has been shown to relieve nausea from chemotherapy, muscle spasms and chronic pain and to reverse appetite loss."It does not make sense for many of New Jersey's citizens to suffer when there is a viable way to ease their pain," said bill sponsor Reed Gusciora, D-Mercer.Gusciora said there is no evidence of increased drug use in the dozen states that already allow for medical marijuana.The New Jersey bill enjoys bipartisan sponsorship.Republican Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll of Morris County said it is key for doctors to be permitted to use their judgment."If you can go to your doctor and get a derivative of the poppy to treat pain, why can't you get a derivative of the cannabis plant to treat your symptoms," Carroll asked. "If a doctor using his or her best medical judgment thinks marijuana is the best thing for the patient, he or she should be allowed to recommend it."Medical marijuana bills have been introduced before in New Jersey, but have failed to advance.However, a Senate health panel heard from television personality Montel Williams and other advocates two years ago during an information session. Williams, a registered medical marijuana user in California, said he turned to marijuana to relieve debilitating knee and foot pain after trying Oxycontin and a variety of other drugs to no avail.The bill now pending would allow patients to use marijuana medicinally by smoking it, eating it or taking it in tablets as prescribed by a doctor. The amount of marijuana a patient could possess would be capped at 1 ounce and patients would be issued cards identifying them as registered medical marijuana users.Source: Associated Press (Wire)Author: Angela Delli Santi, Associated Press Writer Published: May 22, 2008Copyright: 2008 The Associated Press CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #3 posted by Richard Zuckerman on May 28, 2008 at 21:34:04 PT:
I'M FROM NEW JOUSEY, TOO! 
One of the Assembly Health Committee members called me after the hearing, expressed his interest in getting a legal grow operations going. I asked him to first pass legislation for a medical necessity defense, as this would be the most practical and expeditious means of getting the Bill through and giving justice to med pot patients, and that if we try grow ops now the DEA would be on our case. Back around 1982, the New Jersey Supreme Court held in State v. Tate that there is no medical necessity defense to pot charge unless the State legislature passes a law for it. The Home News Tribune, www.thnt.com, called me the other day stating they might publish my Letter To The Editor about this. This evening, I e-mailed Jack Herer asking for him to call the Assembly Health Committee member.
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Comment #2 posted by RevRayGreen on May 22, 2008 at 15:55:19 PT
So high school is the only place to find it ?
"I don't want to send them down behind the local high school to look for weed."
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on May 22, 2008 at 15:10:34 PT
Updated Associated Press Article
NJ Lawmakers Consider Medical Marijuana Bill***By Angela Delli Santi, Associated Press WriterMay 22, 2008TRENTON, N.J. -- Lawmakers debating whether New Jersey should become the 13th state to allow the seriously ill to use marijuana got hung up Thursday on how patients would acquire the illegal drug."I think this is a question you should ask your children," Assemblyman Reed Gusciora said in response to a question about marijuana's availability. "I don't mean to be flip, but marijuana is out there. Many people obtain it."However, several lawmakers on the Assembly health panel considering the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act said they'd be uncomfortable passing a bill that allows patients to possess marijuana without also providing some way for them to buy the drug."We need a reliable source for people to go to," said Assemblywoman Joan Quigley. "I don't want to send them down behind the local high school to look for weed."Pharmacies cannot dispense marijuana so long as it remains illegal under federal law. In California, medical marijuana markets run the risk of being prosecuted under federal law.Twelve states already allow the use of medical marijuana for chronically ill patients.Under New Jersey's proposal, patients suffering from cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and other life-threatening illnesses would be allowed to smoke or eat marijuana or pop marijuana pills to alleviate their symptoms.The measure would permit certain patients to register with the Department of Health and Human Services to legally possess and use the drug, which has been shown to relieve nausea from chemotherapy, muscle spasms and chronic pain and to reverse appetite loss."It does not make sense for many of New Jersey's citizens to suffer when there is a viable way to ease their pain," said Gusciora, the Mercer County Democrat who sponsored the bill.Gusciora said there is no evidence of increased drug use in the dozen states that already allow for medical marijuana.However, David Evans of the Drug-Free Schools Coalition, said allowing marijuana for medicinal use opens the door to legalization of the drug."Open your minds a little here and look to see if there is some other agenda that may be using innocent, honest people to further a political agenda," Evans said.Republican Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll of Morris County said it is key for doctors to be permitted to use their judgment."If you can go to your doctor and get a derivative of the poppy to treat pain, why can't you get a derivative of the cannabis plant to treat your symptoms," Carroll asked. "If a doctor using his or her best medical judgment thinks marijuana is the best thing for the patient, he or she should be allowed to recommend it."Medical marijuana bills have been introduced before in New Jersey, but have failed to advance. Thursday's hearing was informational only; no vote was taken.A Senate health panel heard from television personality Montel Williams and other advocates two years ago during an information session. Williams, a multiple sclerosis patient and registered medical marijuana user in California, said he turned to marijuana to relieve debilitating knee and foot pain after trying Oxycontin and other drugs to no avail.Roseanne Scotti of New Jersey's Drug Policy Alliance said most states that allow medical marijuana have fewer than 1,000 patients on their registries.Like New Jersey, she said other states are grappling with how to provide patients with access to the drug.Oregon licenses grow centers, which are authorized to harvest small amounts of the drug for a prescribed number of patients. Rhode Island has introduced a bill to create compassionate care centers, similar to Oregon's grow centers. New Mexico is considering various options, she said.Copyright 2008 Associated Presshttp://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--medicalmarijuana0522may22,0,2321509.story
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