QUIT POLITICKING, AND EASE THE PAIN

If our elected public officials can't come together and find common
ground when it comes to treating the most seriously ill among us, how
can we expect them to reach consensus on more politically charged
issues impacting the state?

Thankfully, last week, in a show of common sense, Republican Governor
Christie and at least one Democratic lawmaker seemed ready to finally
clear away the smoke and come up with a way to get medical marijuana
to those in New Jersey who most need it, including the terminally ill.
The goal is to settle on the parameters in order to begin dispensing
the drug in July.

"I've never been opposed to the program aE& or the idea that medical
marijuana is available to those truly in need," Christie said Friday.

Many Democrats had complained that the governor's earlier restrictions
on dispensing medical marijuana to those most in need went against the
spirit of the original legislation, which became law last January.
Democrats argued that the governor's limits on the program would make
it difficult for some patients to gain access to the drug.

It is time to get this program up and running. Thirteen other states
already allow the administering of medical marijuana to the seriously
ill. Among those who stand to benefit from smoking medical marijuana
are cancer patients, people with AIDS, victims of Lou Gehrig's
disease, as well as many others.

Under an agreement announced by Christie and Assemblyman Reed
Gusciora, D-Mercer, an original bill sponsor, two dispensaries or
"alternative treatment centers" each will operate in the north,
central and southern portions of the state. Six non-profit companies
would be allowed to grow and sell medical marijuana -- as intended in
the original law -- but home delivery would not be allowed. A relative
would be designated as a caregiver and be allowed to retrieve the drug
from the seller if the patient is unable to travel.

We do not agree with home delivery restrictions; it places an undue
burden on the patient. We also are not keen on the restriction
requiring patients suffering from three "nonfatal" conditions --
seizures, glaucoma and intractable muscle spasms -- to exhaust all
other options before their doctor can recommend marijuana.

Still, this compromise should provide momentum. The law should have
been implemented a long time ago. It has gotten entangled in politics.
It may still be. Sen. Nicholas P. Scutari, D-Linden, an original
author of the legislation, is not happy with being left out of the
process, and argues that the rules still make the law too cumbersome
to be effective.

In the end, the people with the most to win or lose in this fight are
the thousands of New Jersey residents who suffer from painful illness.
Their varied maladies have no respect for the political process. We
urge the administration and legislators involved to finalize these
plans and end the delays on providing medical marijuana to those who
need it.