The New Jersey state Senate voted 22-16 Monday in favor of a bill that allows the possession and use of marijuana for medical purposes.
The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act allows people suffering from illneses causing “wasting syndrome, severe or chronic pain, seizures and severe and persistent muscle spasms” to possess up to six marijuana plants or one ounce of the drug. Patients must enroll in a program regulating use of the drug.
The bill also allows for the creation of state-controlled “compassion centers” that would grow and distribute marijuana.
Democrat Sen. Nicholas Scutari, a sponsor of the bill, said the Act is not intended for “drug addicts and thrill-seekers – we are talking about desperately sick people in need of relief.” Democrat Sen. Raymond Lesniak called the bill “a vote of conscience”.
Opposition against the bill focused around its vague definitions of who could participate in the program. Democrat Sen. Fred Madden said New Jersey could see the kind of abuses seen in California, where a similar program went into law several years ago. Republican Sen. Gerald Cardinale said the way the bill is written is “the wrong thing for people in New Jersey and the wrong thing for our children”.
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Just to short circuit the inevitable post about 'pot causes cancer'…
"Alcohol Linked to Cancer Risk in Women"
-webmd.com
Take that!
NJ home to the highest automobile insurance rates in the history of car insurance. What affect will this have on highway safety? KA-BOOM I think.
Smoking can dead the persons
Too bad smoking weed doesn’t really make you a bad driver.
yeah, more people crash their cars driving drunk, not stoned, idiot. the gov’t fears that if marijuana were made legal, too many people would start smoking it and lose their motivation to contribute to society, happy and hungry people everywhere, but liquor is necessary because of our stupid culture
I love how the supporters of weed think comparing it to something worse will make it look any better. More weed logic.
Apples and oranges.
New Jersey isn’t exactly known for their smart politics.
The marijuanna laws are draconian, detrimental, & wrong. Get rid of thoes bad laws and then get rid of other bad laws.
I’m an avid weed smoker, and not for medical reasons.
Despite anyone’s stance on it, the fact of the matter is that tens if millions of like smoking marijuana on a regular basis, and thats not going to change.
Its time to civilize the sale and growth with taxation and regulation. 8 years and billions of Bush’s war on drug dollars went specifically into stopping the sale and import of marijuana… and 8 years later nothing has changes.
We’re here, we’re high, and it’s time to accept that.
“i love how the supporters of weed think comparing it to something worse will make it look any better. More weed logic.
Apples and oranges.”
You mean alcohol? the legal substance is WORSE than weed? Why shouldn’t weed be legal then if alcohol is?
Just compare the number of deaths a year cause to driniking and driving. Thier is a thing called alcoholism and people die from that every year. Please show me a chart that shows people dieing from smoking marijuanna. Also this allows cancer patients to go threw khemo therapy easier and allows them to eat when its difficult. Open up and stop being so conservative. On a non medicinal purpose you can make paper clothing from hemp which can stop the deforistation happening and actually save some of our eco system. Think about that!
Great comment, common sense.
Under your logic, you can legalize rape because it isn't porn.
I believe weed is a great way to get people OFF alcohol and prescription pills, which are the true menaces to society. All you anti-pot people have been brainwashed by the Reefer Madness era and past politicians who denounced pot strictly because they couldn’t find a way to profit from it! Now they found a way so smoke up they say! Fact is marijuana can provide incredible benefits if used responsibly by people who deserve to use. I broke my back a few years ago and became addicted to OC with a hard side of alcoholism…very depressing life until i became a medical marijuana patient. Now I no longer drink or take medication, at all, I’ve never been happier, or more productive, I work a full time job, have a family, the whole bit. Pot has gotten a bad rep over the years but saved my life!
Marijuana does not kill brain cells! Nor cause cancer, heart disease. Non habit forming. High effect only last during 1-3 hrs after smoking- no memory loss, doesnt make you stupid or forgetfull!!
How come we support wendy’s, casinos, bars, porn???
Most people are lazy because they are fat, not stoned. I’m glad were legalizing pot and banning trans fat!!!
It’s already a law in California. The feds just pop in whenever-they need a fix I guess, and shut the dealers down. Since it is illegal on a federal level, the ones to profit from these types of laws right now are the drug cartels. It doesn’t have to be that way. If the U.S. legalized pot, and started to produce hemp for other purposes, it would go a long way to pull the country out of its current malaise.
Cannabis has been used for about 4,000 years for medical purposes. In Taiwan about 10,000 years ago the people of that country used marijuana for fiber. It’s important to mention that it’s not the social threat authorities believe it to be. On http://medicalpot.com . you can find out more about the wide range of medical applications of pot in treating diseases such as convulsions, asthma, anxiety, nausea, vomiting, schizophrenia.