N.J. SENATE APPROVES MEDICAL MARIJUANA

The state Senate voted Monday to legalize the use of marijuana
for medicinal purposes, taking a huge step toward making New Jersey
the 14th state in the nation to allow residents with serious
debilitating conditions to use the drug for relief.

"We aren't talking about thrill-seekers or drug addicts here we are
talking about very sick people who are in desperate need of relief,"
said Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, the bill sponsor. "These people
are not criminals, and it does not behoove us as a society to treat
them as such."

The legislation passed by a 22 to 16 vote. The Assembly has yet to
consider the bill, although Gov. Jon S. Corzine has said he would sign
the measure if it reached his desk.

The measure would give residents with a doctor's recommendation the
ability to obtain a registration card from the state Department of
Health and Senior Services to use marijuana for medicinal purposes
without the possibility of arrest, prosecution or penalty.

Those approved by the department could possess up to six marijuana
plants and one usable ounce of marijuana, grown at home or obtained
from an alternative treatment center a facility that would be
designated to grow and distribute the drug.

Patients under the age of 18 could also seek eligibility from the
state with the permission of a parent or guardian.

The measure set off a range of emotions from those on both sides of
the issue. Supporters, both Democrats and Republicans, said the
legislation would grant options to health care professionals in
treating the pain and suffering of their patients, many of whom face
terminal diseases.

But opponents said the lack of regulation over the use of marijuana,
with no prescriptions needed and little oversight over registrants
growing the plant, could make it too easily available, opening the
door to wide-ranging abuses.

Sen. Fred Madden, who previously served as acting superintendent of
the New Jersey State Police, said he thinks the legislation is so
broadly written that someone with a migraine or a back strain could
get access to a supply of marijuana.

"For the people who really need it, I'd love to be able to support
it," said Madden, D-4, of Washington Township. "But I can't in good
conscience."

"I believe that, if it's truly medicinal, it should go through the
FDA," added Sen. Marcia Karrow, R-Warren/Hunterdon, referring to the
federal Food and Drug Administration. "It should be dispensed through
a pharmacy for those in pain and suffering through a safer venue, with
prescriptions, packaged safely, and hitting the right target area."

Scutari said that the state registry would give law enforcement
offiers the ability to monitor growers, should an issue arise.
Patients who apply to the state would also need a doctor's
recommendation for the treatment of a condition that causes severe or
chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, or severe and persistent muscle
spasms.

That would include patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma, HIV or
AIDS.

"We're not talking about the legalization of pot," said Sen. Jim
Whelan, D-Atlantic, also a bill sponsor. "But, rather, about giving
suffering New Jerseyans a small bit of comfort in what could be their
final days."

State Senate passage of the "New Jersey Compassionate Use of Medical
Marijuana Act" is a major victory for supporters who canvassed the
State House on Monday.

"It's a matter of life and death for me," said Stephen Cuspilich, a
resident of Willingboro Township in Burlington County, who was
diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 1994. Crohn's causes inflammation of
the digestive tract.

Cuspilich said approval of the bill would allow him to cut out five of
the six prescription medications that he takes each day to relieve the
pain and symptoms caused by his disorder, many which have health
impacts that he said are wearing away at his body.

But opponents, who believe that approval of the bill would result in
the legalization of additional drugs, said the Senate passage was only
one step in a long process. The Assembly, where all 80 members are up
for re-election in November, has yet to consider the measure.

Terrence Farley represents a group called Safe Approved Medicine for
New Jersey, which is made up of law enforcement officials and other
opponents of the bill. Farley said he will continue to press
legislators to vote against it.

"Marijuana is not medicine," said Farley.

While federal law prohibits marijuana use, Alaska, California,
Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico,
Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington permit its use for
medical purposes. Doctors in Arizona are permitted to prescribe marijuana.

A companion to the bill (S-119) has been introduced in the Assembly
and referred to the Health and Senior Services Committee where it has
yet to be considered.