WILLIAMS TO PROMOTE MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN N.J.

TRENTON -- Television personality Montel Williams planned to tell a
Senate panel on Thursday how marijuana relieves his chronic pain
caused by multiple sclerosis, as he urges New Jersey lawmakers to join
11 other states that have enacted medical marijuana laws.

Williams, 49, who was diagnosed with MS seven years ago, said he
turned to marijuana to relieve debilitating knee and foot pain after
trying Oxycontin and a variety of other drugs to no avail.

Williams, a registered medical marijuana user in California, said he
became an activist pushing for medical marijuana laws after being
stopped at a Detroit airport by an Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms
officer for carrying drug paraphernalia. The charge was later dropped.

"For me, marijuana eases the pain in my feet -- on a scale of 1 to 10,
brings it from a 6 down to a 4 and keeps it there -- makes it
manageable so I can deal with the rest of my day," said Williams. "Why
should it not be available?"

Williams planned to speak at a Drug Policy Alliance-sponsored news
conference supporting the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical
Marijuana Act today and a Senate hearing on the bill Thursday. He said
he was also hoping to discuss the issue with Gov. Corzine, though the
Governor's Office said as of Tuesday Williams hadn't requested a meeting.

Corzine said last year that he would sign a medical marijuana bill
into law.

The proposal would allow certain chronically ill patients to use
marijuana medicinally by smoking it, eating it or taking it in
tablets. The drug would have to be prescribed by a doctor and the
program would be monitored by the state Health Department. Under the
proposal, the amount of marijuana a patient would be allowed to
possess would be capped at 1 ounce and patients would be issued cards
identifying them as registered medical marijuana users.