New Jersey Becomes 14th State to Legalize Medical Marijuana
The New Jersey State Legislature approved a bill that would allow chronically ill patients to use marijuana for medical reasons. New Jersey becomes the 14th state to pass the legislation. Governor Corzine has said he will sign the bill into law before he leaves office next week. Governor –Elect Christie, on the other hand, has expressed some reservations about it.
The law is more restrictive than other states; it allows doctors to prescribe marijuana only for a specific list of illnesses. It also prohibits individuals from growing marijuana on their own, and would be limited to two ounces of marijuana per month, purchased from state-monitored facilities. The State Department of Health would issue ID cards to patients allowing them to purchase marijuana.
The other states that allow the medical use of marijuana are Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.