[420 Girl]

Just when we thought that New Jersey would be the fourteenth state to ratify laws lifting the ban on medical marijuana, a new obstacle has appeared to slow it down. Incumbent Governor Jon Corzine, who said he would sign the bill into law, is facing an uphill battle against Republican candidate Chris Christie, who opposes the measure. The fate of bill S-119, it seems, rests on the November 2nd, 2009 election results.

The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, which was introduced by state senator Nicholas Scutari, passed the senate on February 23rd by a vote of 22-16. The bill states that only people suffering from “debilitating medical conditions” may seek a prescription for marijuana from their doctors. A debilitating medical condition refers to “cancer, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus [HIV], acquired immune deficiency syndrome [AIDS]…cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe or chronic pain; severe nausea [and] seizures.” When interviewed by The New Jersey Star Ledger on the purpose of the bill, Scutari said, “We are not talking about drug addicts and thrill-seekers -- we are talking about desperately sick people in need of relief.”

Soon after the senate passed the bill, Governor Jon Corzine went on WNYC radio to pledge his support. Since then, a number of committees, groups, and lobbyists have announced their support of its passage in the Assembly, including; the New Jersey State Nurses Association, the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians, the New Jersey Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, and the New Jersey League for Nursing.

New Jersey Republicans, however, are not so keen on the idea of partially legalizing a recreational drug. Gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie expressed his opposition to the bill in a radio interview with NJ 101.5 on March 19th. David Evans, the executive director of the Drug Free School Coalition said to the NJ Star Ledger, “This is dressed up as compassion but this bill is way, way too loose…It will be too easy to get marijuana.”

The Assembly plans to vote on the measure this Thursday, June 4th. If it passes, the bill will head to the governor’s desk. If Corzine is still in office this November, New Jersey will become the fourteenth state to legalize medical marijuana, another big step towards legalization and taxation on a national level. If he is ousted by Christie, however, New Jersey and the United States as a whole will have to wait a little bit longer.

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