The New York Times - It was a rare piece of good news for those suffering from such diseases as cancer, AIDS, Lou Gehrig’s disease and muscular dystrophy. The New Jersey Legislature on Monday legalized medically prescribed marijuana, and Gov. Jon Corzine has promised to sign the bill before leaving office next week.
As one woman suffering from multiple sclerosis cheered after the vote, “I’m in heaven. It means I am no longer a criminal in the State of New Jersey.”
This show of compassion for the chronically ill comes at an important time for New Jersey lawmakers, who failed last week to summon the same kind of courage and empathy for gay couples. The Legislature rejected a same-sex marriage bill that Mr. Corzine, a Democrat, said he would have signed before handing over the State House to Gov.-elect Christopher Christie, a Republican who has said he would have vetoed it.
The legislation that was passed on Monday allows doctors to prescribe marijuana the way they would controlled painkillers like Oxycontin or morphine. New Jersey will be one of 14 states to allow the drug to combat pain, nausea and other debilitating side effects from chemotherapy or for seizures, muscle spasms and glaucoma. That will give doctors in New Jersey an important option to the pharmaceutical drugs now available to treat these serious illnesses.
Despite criticism from antidrug groups that the change would open the door to more abuse of marijuana, the New Jersey law would not make it easier to grow your own or puff away freely on the nearest street corner. Doing so is very much illegal. And federal officials have made it clear that while they won’t go after patients using marijuana, they want law enforcement officers to focus more firepower on dangerous drug dealers in their states.
New Jersey’s law is expected to be the nation’s most restrictive. That is a far cry from California, where marijuana can be used for ailments as common as anxiety. Patients in New Jersey would have to get an ID card that says that they have one of the authorized medical conditions. They could obtain their supply only from government dispensaries at a rate of two ounces per month.
Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, a Democrat from Princeton and a lead sponsor of the legislation, said he hopes it will become a model for other states. New York, Connecticut and other states that are concerned about the well-being of their sickest citizens should take heed.
News Hawk- Weedpipe 420 Magazine
Source: NYTimes.com
Contact: The New York Times
Copyright: 2010 The New York Times Company
Website:Editorial - Compassion in New Jersey
As one woman suffering from multiple sclerosis cheered after the vote, “I’m in heaven. It means I am no longer a criminal in the State of New Jersey.”
This show of compassion for the chronically ill comes at an important time for New Jersey lawmakers, who failed last week to summon the same kind of courage and empathy for gay couples. The Legislature rejected a same-sex marriage bill that Mr. Corzine, a Democrat, said he would have signed before handing over the State House to Gov.-elect Christopher Christie, a Republican who has said he would have vetoed it.
The legislation that was passed on Monday allows doctors to prescribe marijuana the way they would controlled painkillers like Oxycontin or morphine. New Jersey will be one of 14 states to allow the drug to combat pain, nausea and other debilitating side effects from chemotherapy or for seizures, muscle spasms and glaucoma. That will give doctors in New Jersey an important option to the pharmaceutical drugs now available to treat these serious illnesses.
Despite criticism from antidrug groups that the change would open the door to more abuse of marijuana, the New Jersey law would not make it easier to grow your own or puff away freely on the nearest street corner. Doing so is very much illegal. And federal officials have made it clear that while they won’t go after patients using marijuana, they want law enforcement officers to focus more firepower on dangerous drug dealers in their states.
New Jersey’s law is expected to be the nation’s most restrictive. That is a far cry from California, where marijuana can be used for ailments as common as anxiety. Patients in New Jersey would have to get an ID card that says that they have one of the authorized medical conditions. They could obtain their supply only from government dispensaries at a rate of two ounces per month.
Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, a Democrat from Princeton and a lead sponsor of the legislation, said he hopes it will become a model for other states. New York, Connecticut and other states that are concerned about the well-being of their sickest citizens should take heed.
News Hawk- Weedpipe 420 Magazine
Source: NYTimes.com
Contact: The New York Times
Copyright: 2010 The New York Times Company
Website:Editorial - Compassion in New Jersey
