Pubdate: Thu, 02 Aug 2012
Source: Asbury Park Press (NJ)
Copyright: 2012 Asbury Park Press
Contact:  http://www.app.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/26
Author: Jim Miller
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v12/n355/a07.html

N.J. MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW EXCLUDES TOO MANY PATIENTS

It was hard reading Assemblyman Declan J. O'Scanlon Jr.'s July 20 
commentary, , "Medical marijuana: the facts," with a subtitle stating 
that the "Christie administration has been responsive on (the) issue."

First, the Christie administration has never responded to any 
potential medical marijuana patients or organizations that advocate 
for medical marijuana in regard to their specific concerns about the 
program's regulations, many of which were added on after the bill was 
signed into law over 2 1/2 years ago.

The entire regulatory process was done behind closed doors. Nobody 
knows who inserted the additional cumbersome regulations, and the 
administration is not being as open as O'Scanlon would lead us to 
believe when such questions are asked.

O'Scanlon states: "We all want our patients suffering from illnesses 
and chronic pain to get relief," yet he is aware that most illnesses, 
and chronic pain specifically, are not eligible indications for 
inclusion into our program.

O'Scanlon's reasoning, as well as Christie's, is that we don't want 
to become another California or Colorado, where chronic pain patients 
can readily acquire their medicine.

O'Scanlon defines a good medical marijuana program by how strict it 
is, no matter how many patients it leaves out.

I, on the other hand, would define a good program by how many 
patients it is able to help. In that respect, I'm sure that patients 
in California and Colorado hope that their state never becomes 
another New Jersey. After all, their lives depend on it.

Jim Miller

Toms River
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