Pubdate: Sun, 20 May 2007
Source: Asbury Park Press (NJ)
Copyright: 2007 Asbury Park Press
Contact:  http://www.app.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/26
Author: Nirmal Mitra, Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)

WALK'S AIM IS TO LEGALIZE USE OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Libertarian Group Advocates Pot As Pain Reliever

SEASIDE HEIGHTS - A group of Libertarian Party members plans to set 
out today on a "Walk Across New Jersey" with a message for lawmakers: 
Legalize medical marijuana.

Leading the walk will be 55-year-old Jim Miller of Toms River, the 
party's candidate for state Senate from the 10th District. His wife 
Cheryl, a medical marijuana advocate, died June 7, 2003, after 
spending the last decade of her life telling people how marijuana 
relieved her multiple sclerosis spasticity and pain. Miller will be 
pushing his wife's wheelchair.

The group will start by holding its state meeting at 10 a.m. today at 
Captain Hooks at 1320 Boulevard and head out from there at noon. 
Participants will walk over the Route 37 bridge, break for lunch at 
the Pier One restaurant on Route 37, and then start the trek toward 
Trenton, which they plan to reach Tuesday.

Although Miller expects about 50 to 80 people, including many of the 
party's 24 candidates for the November election, to walk the first 
couple of miles, only four or five will accompany him all the way 
across the state, with two support vehicles following, he said.

They will walk along Route 37 to Route 9 to Freehold and then along 
Route 33 to Trenton. They plan to reach the steps of the statehouse 
by noon Tuesday and then deliver their petition to election 
officials, according to Lou Jasikoff, chairman of the party. They 
want to place on the November ballot a question of whether medical 
marijuana should be legalized.

Lawmakers are working on two medical marijuana bills, one in the 
state Senate and another in the Assembly, Miller said. Informational 
hearings on the Senate bill were held last June, and the legislation 
is stalled.

Although there is no organized campaign to make marijuana legal, 
there is public support for it, Miller said. A poll by the Drug 
Policy Alliance showed 86 percent of people surveyed supported 
legalizing marijuana for medical use and 11 percent opposed 
legalizing it, he said.

Miller said he decided to run for state Senate after the party agreed 
to join the push to legalize marijuana.

Libertarian Party candidates are "well-educated, intelligent and 
young and will bring a fresh face to New Jersey," Jasikoff said.

"We're very mainstream," he said. Democratic and Republican lawmakers 
"represent their parties and not the people," he said. "They have 
sold their souls to special interest groups."

Libertarians, on the other hand, are "regular working guys" who don't 
take money from such groups, he said. "We work 40-50 hours a week, 
and we're trying to find the energy and resources to make a difference." 
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake