Hydrolife Magazine August/September 2017 [USA Edition]

consultant's corner
Recreational Marijuana
Bill Introduced
New Jersey has entered
unfamiliar territory. Current
Gov. Chris Christie has made
his opposition clear, but a state
senator tabled a new recreational
marijuana bill in May amidst
uncertainty over who will be
the next governor of the state.
Questions remain as to how it will
play out moving forward.
BY MEDICINE MAN TECHNOLOGIES
In a state where the governor is vehemently opposed to
legalization, many people were surprised when a new
recreational marijuana bill was introduced by Senator Nicholas
Scutari (D-Union) in May. Here at Medicine Man Technologies,
we’re honored to have been part of this movement, meeting
with both Scutari and president of the Senate Stephen Sweeney
(D-Gloucester) last October to show them how a legal, safe, and
regulated industry has greatly benefited Colorado.
The plan for the new bill includes waiting for Gov. Chris
Christie (R) to exit the office in January 2018. During his Ask
the Governor radio program last November, Christie made his
stance on legalizing marijuana very clear.
“There is nothing we spend in government that is important
enough to allow me to willfully poison our children. That’s
blood money,” he said, referring to the estimated $300 million in
tax revenue the industry could potentially generate.
Meanwhile, 58 per cent of respondents to a Rutgers
University-Eagleton Institute poll support the legalization,
taxation, and regulation of marijuana for adults 21 and over,
showing the governor is out of step with constituents.
New Jersey’s Medical Marijuana History
Back in 2010, the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical
Marijuana Act was passed and signed by then-governor Jon
Corzine (D) on his last day in office. With Christie on board
the very next day, things have been anything but easy for
doctors and their patients. The state registry didn’t come
online until August 2012 and even today, only five of six
permitted treatment centers are up and running.
Unlike other medical marijuana programs, New Jersey’s is
unusually strict in several areas, such as requiring patients
to be reassessed by their physician for 30, 60, or 90-day
certifications. As for qualifying conditions, PTSD wasn’t
added and signed into law by Christie until last year. Now in
2017, the state Medicinal Marijuana Review Panel has finally
recommended additional conditions, including migraines,
Alzheimer’s disease, and chronic pain related to arthritis,
sciatica, diabetes, and more.
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