Pubdate: Sat, 13 Nov 2010 Source: Asbury Park Press (NJ) Copyright: 2010 Asbury Park Press Contact: http://www.app.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/26 MARIJUANA RULES MUST BE EASED The science is irrefutable: Medical marijuana can relieve pain for people with chronic or even fatal illnesses. And it can alleviate the nausea associated with cancer treatments. That is why the Legislature passed, and Gov. Jon Corzine signed into law, the "New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act" right before he left office. That now looks like it was the easy part. Implementing the law, and getting the marijuana to people who need it or could benefit from it, seems to be a whole different matter. Gov. Chris Christie has called for such strict regulations on the distribution and use of medical marijuana that earlier this week two committees, one in the state Senate and the other in the Assembly, passed resolutions declaring that the regulations would not fulfill the intent of the law. If the concurrent resolutions are approved by both houses of the Legislature, the state Department of Health and Human Services must rewrite some of the rules. Understandably, the Christie administration wants to avoid the problems with the use of medical marijuana experienced in some other states - abuses of the system tantamount to de facto legalization. But some of the proposed regulations seem so draconian as to invite comparison with the 1930s' fear-mongering film "Reefer Madness." The proposed rules, not yet officially published and typically subject to a 60-day public comment period once published, would limit the number of illnesses that would qualify for the marijuana treatment. That is the sort of decision best left to physicians and their patients. The regulations would require patients to have an ongoing relationship with a physician, who would have to certify that other drugs had failed to alleviate pain. Why should cannabis have to be the treatment of last resort? Christie also would prohibit the marijuana from containing more than 10 percent of its active ingredient. Doesn't the production of "pot lite" undermine the whole point of the legislation? Surely there must be some middle ground. The governor and the Legislature should find it. And soon. People are suffering. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt