CHRISTIE REFUSES TO EASE MARIJUANA RULES

TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie said he will fight to prevent his
administration's proposed medical marijuana regulations from going up
in smoke, despite pressure from state lawmakers to make changes.

The governor said he fears watering down the rules would essentially
create "a de facto legalization of marijuana" in New Jersey.

Changes here could lead to duplicating flawed medical marijuana
systems in place in California and Colorado, Christie said last week.
Thirteen states allow medical pot.

"We're not going to have a head shop in every town and quack doctors
writing prescriptions for people with headaches to get marijuana,"
Christie said. "That's not going to happen on my watch."

In elections earlier this month, South Dakota voters rejected for the
second time a measure to legalize marijuana for medical use, but a
similar referendum was approved by a narrow margin in Arizona.

Oregon voters shot down expanding their state's program to create a
network of licensed nonprofit dispensaries.

California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996.

New Jersey rolled out its yet-to-start program with legislation
nearly a year ago and former Gov. Jon Corzine signed the bill into
law, a day before Christie took office in January.

Christie, a former U.S. attorney, said he has seen first-hand the
dangers of drug abuse.

"I'm not doing it," Christie said of easing restrictions. "I've seen
too much in my previous career of what can happen when drugs become
that prevalent."

Christie said he has no problem with allowing for the "compassionate
relief of pain for those patients who can find relief through no
other legal means."

"I'm for them getting it from doctors who've been treating them all
along, not from doctors parachuted into the situation with a
profit-making motive like we've seen happen in California and
Colorado," he said.

On Monday, the state Assembly voted 48-22 to require a rewrite of the
policy that will be followed when New Jersey starts its program,
expected to happen in 2011.

The bill's sponsor, Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, D-Mercer, said the
Christie administration didn't follow the intent of the new law by
limiting the number of illnesses that would qualify for the treatment
and by capping the strength of the marijuana.

Gusciora said, "We need to make it clear that the regulations are a
little too strict. We need the regulations streamlined so we can put
compassionate back into the title of the law."

The law is known as the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical
Marijuana Act. The Christie administration wants to license two
marijuana growers and four distribution centers. But the law called
for an initial six nonprofit grower-sellers to open, in sites
throughout the state.

"It's going to be difficult for someone in Warren County to have to
go to Elizabeth, or someone from Penns Grove who will be expected to
go to Atlantic City," Gusciora said.

State Senate leaders are planning a vote on the matter possibly as
soon as Dec. 9. Senate leaders canceled their vote on Monday because
of the absences of Sen. Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, and Sen. Jennifer
Beck, R-Monmouth, both of whom are being counted on to push for a rewrite.

If the Senate also approves the resolution, the administration would
have 30 days to amend or withdraw its rules. Either house of the
Legislature can hold a public hearing on the invalidation of the
proposed rules if the administration fails to act.