cannabisnews.com: NJ Lawmakers Order Christie To Rewrite Rules
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NJ Lawmakers Order Christie To Rewrite Rules
Posted by CN Staff on December 13, 2010 at 15:03:18 PT
By Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press
Source: Associated Press
Trenton -- The state Senate passed a resolution Monday to require Gov. Chris Christie's administration to rewrite its proposed medical marijuana regulations.Both the Senate and the Assembly have now voted that the proposed regulations don't meet the Legislature's intent to create a system by which patients with certain conditions can have legal access to a drug that's illegal for everyone else.
With Monday's vote 22-16 vote, the Senate invoked a little-used provision of the state constitution … and possibly a game of chicken between the Democrat-controlled Legislature and the Republican governor. Still, Sen. Nicholas Scutari, the Democrat from Linden who was behind Monday's resolution, pushed the unusual vote as an opportunity for compromise with the governor."To the governor, I'm available 24-7 if you'd like to talk,'' Scutari said just after the vote.Under the state constitution, the administration now has 30 days to rewrite its regulations governing medical marijuana growing and distribution. If it refuses, lawmakers could vote again to invalidate all or part of the proposed regulations.What would happen in that case is murky. Some medical marijuana advocates believe legislators could write their own rules. But Scutari wasn't sure about that. A court fight could also be a possibility.Patients with a variety of conditions, including multiple sclerosis, AIDS and glaucoma, say marijuana can ease pain, nausea and other symptoms. Advocates pushed for years for New Jersey to allow them to get the drug legally. They succeeded in January when then-Gov. Jon S. Corzine, a Democrat, signed a law to do so. Activists say it's a more stringent medical pot law than those in 13 other states that allow it.But that didn't resolve much.Hours after Corzine signed the law, Christie was sworn in.The new governor said he supported medical marijuana in theory, but thought New Jersey's law wasn't strong enough to keep the legal pot from getting to patients who didn't need it for medical purposes.Christie's critics say he's trying to use the regulatory process to alter the law so much that patients who do need the drug might not be able to get it.Under the proposed rules, which would make the drug legally available by July, New Jersey would regulate things more than any other state has. Among the rules: Capping the potency of the pot and requiring doctors who recommend marijuana to go through more training.Earlier this month, Christie reached a deal with the medical marijuana law's Assembly sponsor, Democrat Reed Gusciora, to make some concessions. For instance, he said he'd allow six nonprofit centers to grow and distribute the drug. The regulations originally said it could be grown only in two places and sold in four.But Christie didn't back off the potency limit, which would cap the THC, the psychotropic chemical in marijuana, at 10 percent.Charles Kwiatkowski, a multiple sclerosis patient, said the potency called for is too weak to help him … and the proposed regulations are so strict that his doctors are reluctant to recommend the drug for him."I have to get it in the street, when I'm fortunate enough to afford it,'' he said.A spokesman for Christie didn't immediately return a call.Source: Associated Press (Wire)Author: Geoff Mulvihill, Associated PressPublished: December 13, 2010Copyright: 2010 The Associated PressCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on December 15, 2010 at 20:06:55 PT
charmed quark
I am so sorry this is happening to you and all the other people who have worked so hard to bring constructive change. You had a good thing happening and then you got a new Governor. We lost our Governor this year to one that I am very unhappy about but we don't have anything going in my state for medical marijuana so I just tune out until it's time to vote again.
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Comment #9 posted by charmed quark on December 15, 2010 at 19:32:48 PT
according to the Philadelphia inquirer
They governor's office said they plan to rewrite the regulations to reflect the "compromise" they made earlier with Ass. Gusciora - with the 10% thc limit and so on. The compromise just rejected by the senate. So 30 days from now the Senate will have to reject the new regulations. And the implementation gets pushed off some more. It is unclear what the senate will do at that point.I'm getting so tired of this process. I've lost count of the number of trips I've made to the state house to testify or just support a vote - it's been going on for about 5 years now.One day, hopefully ...
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Comment #8 posted by runruff on December 14, 2010 at 05:20:07 PT
The WoD's pays dividends daily!
Billions of dollars each day are made by big pharm, take that and add the billion dollar a day prohibition habit We are hooked on. And the Power attached to the WoD! Each day fought is a day of immense earnings.The WoD's camp is in disarray right now. Picture a herd of elephants stampeding toward the WoD camp? What are they doing? They are scurrying around trying to collect up as much of their booty as they can carry off before the inevitable happens. Christie may not be smart enough to even know he is being used in this way by his donors [handlers] but his donors are! Christie himself is nothing but a useful idiot to those who sponsor him.I despise his kind but I've come to expect them.Speaking of useful idiots, I kind of miss having Mark "Smoke Bubble Boy" Souder around to shout at! He is following in the footsteps of his hero, Dubya. Dubya is following in the footsteps of Barnie waiting for him to make a poo poo. Ain't life grand?One last thing off my chest. Everyone should look at the glaring hypocrisy in our gov. How they are making it impossible for middle class to go to college and how feds will use our kids to kill for fun and profit then turn around a tell me that cannabis is harmful to our youths!
Do you know why this offends me? Do you know why this makes me spitting mad because I have a brain that's why and I seem to share this land with half the population operating without one!And I used to read gum wrappers....so?
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Comment #7 posted by sandybeach on December 14, 2010 at 05:13:16 PT
no one opposed is going to cooperate with mmj.
well if the boss tells you to sweep the floor and you only sweep a quarter of it, then he tells you to sweep it again and so you sweep another quarter of it and then he tells you to sweep the whole floor and so you only sweep another quarter of it ,Then I would think that boss would surely find you unqualified for the job because you weren't doing the job you were hired to do you were just stalling hoping to have your way with the rules.I would not let any federal program raise cannabis for sick people because any one who is opposed to legal medical is likely to not do his job either.
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Comment #6 posted by NoCowLevel on December 13, 2010 at 22:07:56 PT
DrDunkleosteus
I have a feeling Christie, just as you said, is going to continue to write even less (just slightly) restrictive rules until it gets through. He's as stubborn as an alpaca. I can't see him changing his tough stance on this issue.Hopefully the legislators will implement a program that's similar to Colorado's or even California's. Such a disgrace that we're trying to prevent people from having cannabis, but Xanax, Vicodin, Percocets are literally just a call away for me. Absolute disgrace.I agree with FoM.
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on December 13, 2010 at 17:02:21 PT
DrDunkleosteus
I wish I knew what he is planning on doing. He doesn't seem like a person who would like being told to do something another way. He's a gruff type person from what I have seen.
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on December 13, 2010 at 16:44:11 PT
christ
Thank you for the article. I never heard about this case. I couldn't find the paper in Mapinc. database.
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Comment #3 posted by sandybeach on December 13, 2010 at 16:44:05 PT
give cannabis and hemp back to the people.
Well It would seem the senate understands the rules are too strict and yes they would discourage a doctors involvement .It is good Christie is being forced to rewrite the rules including the most restrictive ones.Why doesn't he just look at Arizona's new laws regarding medical cannabis .He must not understand we are not going to stop until cannabis is completely legal for every one who wishes to use it or grow it .Cannabis should belong to the people,not to those who oppose it and continue to prevent its use and consumption.I was very disappointed to find out america banned cannabis in Bangladesh India causing a horrible famine there in the 1970's.Ok now this has gone a bit too far and crimes against humanity are starting to crop up over this whole issue.I was sure the more I dug,the worse it would get.Time to give cannabis and hemp back to the people.
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Comment #2 posted by DrDunkleosteus on December 13, 2010 at 16:43:55 PT:
Anyone care to speculate
on what could happen after the 30 days are up?I think it's great that they are making Christie rewrite the laws, but am I the only one that thinks he is just going to draft up a slightly less strict proposal just to send it through the rat race again, further slowing things up?I could also see him drafting a proposal similar to other states' and then trying to take all the credit like it was his idea in the first place...Still, part of me thinks he won't do anything and then what will the legislators do? Will they implement something similar to other states' programs? What do you guys think?
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Comment #1 posted by christ on December 13, 2010 at 15:57:35 PT
good news on Federal trials...
a federal judge to allow an affirmative mmj defense. I think that will be the first time a defendant will be allowed to even speak the words "mmj".
http://hawaiinewsdaily.com/2010/12/11/u-s-v-steele-federal-judge-allowes-medical
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