by Author Name Withheld 96

Created on: December 11, 2008   Last Updated: April 17, 2012

Medical marijuana reform is popping up all over the country.
On election night 2008 the voters of Massachusetts decriminalized the use of medical marijuana. The same night the state of Michigan legalized medical marijuana in small doses.

There are other examples that mean it would make sense for New Jersey to not be far behind in the medical marijuana legalization movement. To be perfectly frank about it, I am surprised that with Democrats controlling the legislature and Governor Jon Corzine in Trenton that something didn't move faster.

Corzine has already spoken in favor of such a bill when he first took office. He claimed he would sign the bill the minute it passed the legislature and made it to his desk. That was in 2006. Several Democratic Senators particularly from the Middlesex and Union County areas had already promised hearings on such a bill nearly three years ago. You've got a lot of law and order Dems in the legislature who tend to vote pro-labor, but can lean a tad conservative on issues like this. Even former Governor and State Senate President Richard Codey has been a little reluctant to pull the trigger on this. Part of the apprehension about a medical marijuana bill is that the budgeting and property tax issues have hampered Corzine and Dems could view those as more important issues in comparison to the legalization of medical marijuana.

At the time in 2006 when Corzine was upbeat about signing a medical marijuana bill New Jersey would have become the twelfth state to legalize medical marijuana. The debate would become revived again in June of 2008 as a bill was defeated this time on the floor of the New Jersey legislature by vote; it didn't just languish in committee. The bill was named the Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana Act of 2008. The main talking point used to defeat this bill appeared to be about who exactly the supplier of the pot would be. Some legislators that they didn't want people growing it by themselves even if they have permission to use medical marijuana.

Take note that we are more then likely dealing with cancer patients, folks with multiple sclerosis and other potentially life threatening illnesses. What this appears to have boiled down is one side wanting a doctor to prescribe the medication. The proponents of the bill wanted a model where sick citizens could grow their own after receiving a state license.

The two sides could not come to an agreement so the bill went down to defeat. Several drug free, children's advocacy

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