NJ: Three medical marijuana deadlines in January

[RedLocks]

Several deadlines about to expire, including the implementation of the law which expired two days ago! Wish our Gov would spend less time in Disney and more time doing his job..:(

NJ: Three medical marijuana deadlines in January - Philadelphia norml | Examiner.com (http://www.examiner.com/norml-in-philadelphia/nj-three-medical-marijuana-deadlines-january)

[gypski]

Several deadlines about to expire, including the implementation of the law which expired two days ago! Wish our Gov would spend less time in Disney and more time doing his job..:(

NJ: Three medical marijuana deadlines in January - Philadelphia norml | Examiner.com (http://www.examiner.com/norml-in-philadelphia/nj-three-medical-marijuana-deadlines-january)

The people of New Jersey must regret electing Christie already and you're stuck with him for what 3 more years? :wtf:

[RedLocks]

The people of New Jersey must regret electing Christie already and you're stuck with him for what 3 more years? :wtf:
Obama just beat Christie's approval rating by several percent if that is any indication. He keeps on this road and his Biography going to be a satire :wtf:

I really don't understand while he is trying to bury this law. It isn't like our mmj program is designed for people with hang nails, this is for the people that live every day in misery and many of which have very few days of life left.

[RedLocks]

I'll consolidate my NJ mmj posts into one thread, or at least for the period of a month... we'll see

N.J. Senate moves towards dissolving Christie's medical marijuana proposal as patients plead for action



As the Democratic-controlled Legislature and Republican Gov. Chris Christieâ??s administration continued to clash over how New Jerseyâ??s medical marijuana program should operate, David Barnes from Califon came to Trenton Thursday and pleaded for a truce.

A year after advocates, patients and lawmakers celebrated the passing of the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, the battle lines have been drawn in a standoff between medical marijuana supporters and the state officials tasked with regulating access to the drug. Frustrated patients and activists crowded into a public hearing held by the state Senate health committee to voice concerns that the new medical marijuana regulations issued by the state Department of Health and Human Services are so restrictive, they effectively nullify the law. Both houses of the legislature will vote on a resolution to invalidate the rules. (Video by Nyier Abdou/The Star-Ledger) Watch video

Testifying at the public hearing Democrats held in Trenton to make the case that Christieâ??s ideas about legalizing pot for severely ill patients are too restrictive and ought to be repealed, Barnes, 50, said he was arrested for possessing a half-gram of marijuana last year. He told the local prosecutor and judge the drug helps tame the violent nausea brought on by a seizure disorder, and as soon as the medical marijuana program gets underway, heâ??ll become a card-carrying member.

Theyâ??ll dismiss the charges once heâ??s enrolled, Barnes said, but his case has been scheduled for a hearing 11 times as heâ??s waited for the state to act.

"I am the person who you wrote this bill for â?? to protect people who use marijuana from prosecution for simple possession. Please help me," he said. "What do I do now?

Sen. Jim Whelan (D-Atlantic), a sponsor of the medical marijuana law, acknowledged the repeal would delay the start date, but said "itâ??s worth taking the extra time.â??â?? Sen. Sean Kean (R-Monmouth) argued the partisan bickering only hurt patients who have to wait. The program is supposed to start in July.

"While I agree with what Sen. Whelan has said about doing it right, my own selfish purposes, I agree with what Sen. Kean has said, about doing it quickly,â??â?? Barnes said, adding "thereâ??s a lot of people out there who do suffer."

Other argued the proposed rules â?? which limit the potency and strains of the drug â?? are unfair and donâ??t match the law enacted a year ago.
Attorney Lisa Levine of Trenton said she represented a group of investors with pharmaceutical, financial and agricultural backgrounds that wanted to apply to become one of the non-profit, six grower-sellers the law allows.

"The regulations were released, and all key players took their marbles and went home," Levine said. "What was a restrictive environment is now become a strangled environment."

Patients must visit doctors every three months to assess their need for the drug and, if possible, switch them to something else. "The state has inserted itself in the patient-physician relationship in an unprecedented way," she added.

The hearing is one of the final steps of using legislative veto power over rules. A transcript of the proceedings must be given to each lawmaker, and after 20 days, the Legislature can adopt a resolution to invalidate the regulations.