N.J. GOV. CHRISTIE MAKES COMPASSIONATE MOVE TO IMPLEMENT MEDICAL
MARIJUANA PROGRAM

After nearly two years of delays, Gov. Chris Christie this week
announced some good news for those who have been waiting patiently
for relief from chronic pain. The governor gave the go-ahead for the
state's medical marijuana program to proceed.

He has asked the health department to "move forward as expeditiously
as possible" in implementing the program, which growers believe could
be in operation by the end of the year.

That operation will not be as extensive as previously envisioned, and
it involves an arsenal of safeguards -- measures critics say make New
Jersey's medical marijuana law the most stringent in the nation. They
also believe it will be the most ineffectual in soothing the
suffering of those whose pain has not responded to traditional treatment.

Were it not the carefully controlled and calibrated program that it
is, however, it might still be in limbo, where it could have remained
indefinitely.

Gov. Christie's hesitation over implementing the law centers on the
fact that the federal government prohibits sale and possession of the
drug. While 16 states have enacted more enlightened legislation,
federal agents could, theoretically, raid those operations at any time.

In the absence of a definitive declaration from the Obama
administration on the conundrum, the governor said he believes "the
need to provide compassionate pain relief to these citizens of our
state outweighs the risk that we are taking in moving forward with
the program as it is set up."

He's right. With dwindling resources, the U.S. Justice Department is
far more likely to monitor outlets in Colorado, for instance. Some of
those sites offer potent pot with razzle-dazzly names and "a doctor
on site" -- making it clear they're catering to a clientele with
questionable medical needs.

New Jersey's program, with just six utilitarian dispensaries in
tightly controlled locations, will be nothing of the sort. The
Compassionate Use Marijuana Act requires organizations tapped by the
state to make three products: a topical lotion, a lozenge and an
"organic product," which is heated and inhaled as water vapor.

After it begins, there will be opportunity for review and perhaps
tweaking of the regulations and the allowable strength of the
marijuana. However, as sponsor Assemblyman Reed Gusciora,
D-Princeton, has said, it's more important to get the program up and
running -- and get the prescriptions to those in pain -- than
endlessly argue over the details.

On hearing the news, a woman in Gloucester who suffers from multiple
sclerosis said she has nothing but gratitude for the governor. It's
gratitude we share.