NO MORE DELAYS

Gov. Christie has not made a good enough case to delay implementation
of the new law that will allow seriously ill patients in New Jersey
to obtain medical marijuana. He should stop being a roadblock.

Christie says another year is needed to write regulations. He's just
stalling. The law goes into effect in July, but it gives state
officials until October to write the rules. That's sufficient time.

Christie had almost persuaded State Sen. Nicholas P. Scutari (D.,
Linden), a prime sponsor of the law, to delay it. Fortunately,
Scutari has recovered and is now urging the governor to "make a
good-faith effort" to implement it.

There were years of debate on how to proceed with such a law before
it was finally passed last year and signed in January by Gov. Jon S.
Corzine.

Many chronically ill people have been waiting for years to legally
obtain marijuana as part of their treatment. Christie hasn't provided
a valid reason to make them suffer for yet another year.

There are steps the state should take immediately, including
compilation of a patient registry. More time-consuming will be the
establishment of state-approved dispensaries authorized to distribute
medical marijuana.

New Jersey's new law makes it only the 14th state to legalize medical
marijuana. But legislators did a good job of studying the mistakes
made elsewhere and have written one of the strictest laws of its type
in the country.

Unlike California, where liberal rules allowed the medical marijuana
industry to explode into a booming pot business, the New Jersey law
restricts access to patients with "debilitating medical conditions,"
including chronic pain and terminal illnesses such as cancer and AIDS.

Pennsylvania should follow New Jersey's lead with a similar bill.