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. [continues 260 words]
Cannabis proponents come out of the shadows, put heads together Wantage -- When Prohibition was repealed, mailmen used Mack trucks to haul the applications for liquor licenses over to City Hall. The "green rush" that's about to happen in New Jersey, which recently became the 14th state to legalize medical marijuana, will be on a smaller scale, thanks to a $20,000 price tag for a growers license and a laundry list of restrictions. Darrell Milligan, who suffers from constant muscle spasms, and his fledgling Sussex County nonprofit North Jersey Compassionate Care are determined to secure one of the six state licenses to be issued shortly by the state Department of Health and Senior Services. Eight people, aged 23 to 71, showed up for the group's second meeting, Nov. 3 at the Sussex-Wantage Library. [continues 1075 words]
Sussex County officials are sounding the alarm over incense products that can be smoked to create a marijuana-like high. The products, known as "K2" or "Spice," are herbs sprayed with synthetic cannabinoids, creating a sensation that replicates pot while staying within the law. An increasing number of states are banning the substance. Critics of the product say its incense aspect is a red herring for the marketability of what amounts to fake marijuana purchasable by all ages, despite a warning label that reads "not for human consumption." [continues 380 words]
Committees Decry Proposed Limits TRENTON - Medical marijuana advocates convinced some state legislators Monday that Gov. Chris Christie's administration had overreached in its attempt to limit New Jersey's new medical marijuana law. Two committees, one in the state Senate and the other in the Assembly, passed resolutions declaring that proposed regulations would not fulfill the intent of the law, which was signed as one of the last acts of Democratic Gov. Jon S. Corzine before he left office in January. [continues 436 words]
TRENTON -- Medical marijuana advocates successfully convinced some state legislators Monday that Gov. Chris Christie's administration had overreached in its attempt to limit New Jersey's new medical marijuana law. Two committees, one in the state Senate and the other in the Assembly, passed resolutions declaring that proposed regulations would not fulfill the intent of the law, which was signed as one of the last acts of Democratic Gov. Jon S. Corzine when he left office in January. Sen. Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, shepherded one resolution through the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee on a 6-1 vote. She said that medical marijuana might have been a better alternative to the morphine given to husband as he died. [continues 393 words]
BRICK - Crime is up, the number of cops is down, and that has led to changes in the police department of what was America's safest city. A special unit of police officers with an extensive arrest record was disbanded earlier this month to put more officers in the ranks for routine patrols. The four-man Selective Enforcement Team was given the job of gang suppression throughout the township. The squad was formed about a year ago to combat rising drug- and gang-related crimes, Police Chief N. Rick Bergquist said. [continues 1362 words]
New Jersey residents will join others across the nation to raise awareness about drug abuse and encourage healthy choices as they celebrate Red Ribbon Week this week, Oct. 23-31. Red Ribbon Week was established by Congress in 1988 to commemorate the work of Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Enrique Camarena, who was killed in the line of duty. Red Ribbon Week has come to represent the belief that one person can make a difference in the fight against drugs. People across the country will pay homage to Agent Camarena and demonstrate their ardent opposition to drugs by wearing red ribbons during this, the last week in October. [continues 52 words]
Regarding the Oct. 12 editorial, "Medical marijuana/ Reasonable rules?": Not only should medical marijuana be made available to patients in need, but adult recreational use should be regulated. Drug policies modeled after Prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented black market. Illegal drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do recruit minors immune to adult sentences. So much for protecting the children. Throwing more money at the problem is no solution. Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase the profitability of drug trafficking. For addictive drugs like heroin, a spike in street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime. [continues 66 words]
No one expected New Jersey's medical-marijuana law to be the kind of loose, wink-and-a-nod dispensary system that exists in California. Fact is, that's precisely what supporters of the measure said would not happen. And that's what makes the angry outcry over the new, restrictive rules announced last week by the Christie administration seem a bit overwrought. Are they strict? Yes. Are they so strict as to make medical marijuana unavailable to people who need it? We don't think so - but those critics have a 60-day public hearing process to make their case. And the Christie administration should be open to tweaking the regulations if that case is made. [continues 342 words]
It's time we leave medical decisions up to medical personnel, since there is nothing in their makeup that equips bureaucrats to understand the needs of people in distress. New Jersey released proposed regulations for medical marijuana use and the emphasis is not on helping the chronically and terminally ill. Certainly, we don't want a law meant to help the needy used as a way to get pot for fun, but adjustments have to be made. Sen. Nick Scutari, D-Union, shares the concern. He sponsored the legislation and has a problem with changes made after his bill was signed into law. "I don't want them rewriting my law," he told a reporter. "That's not right." [continues 578 words]
TRENTON -- It's time we leave medical decisions up to medical personnel, since there is nothing in their makeup that equips bureaucrats to understand the needs of people in distress. New Jersey released proposed regulations for medical marijuana use and the emphasis is not on helping the chronically and terminally ill. Certainly, we don't want a law meant to help the needy used as a way to get pot for fun, but adjustments have to be made. State Sen. Nick Scutari, D-Union, shares the concern. He sponsored the legislation and has a problem with changes made after his bill was signed into law. "I don't want them rewriting my law," he told a reporter. "That's not right." [continues 597 words]
NEWARK, N.J.-Newark Police Director Garry McCarthy won reappointment by the narrowest of margins last week. But the struggle to keep his job might pale when compared to the battles he faces at the start of his second term. Murders are on the rise; the department faces civil-rights scrutiny; the superior officers union said it doesn't believe in him; and budget cuts are looming. "The job has never been easy," Mr. McCarthy said. "...But I'm an eternal optimist. I'm really confident we're going to come out of this and be better than ever before." [continues 843 words]
Township In Talks With School Officials To Fill Void Left By Police Program Cuts Two police programs that cater to thousands of Edison youngsters every year have become victims of this year's budget tightening. Township officials said their need to save money and consolidate services, and to put more police officers on the road, resulted in their axing both the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program and the popular Junior Police Academy. "We honestly believe [these programs] are beneficial for the students," said Bill Stephens, management specialist for the township. "We will work on coming up with cost-efficient ways so that we can continue to work with the youths." [continues 642 words]
During the medical marijuana stakeholders' meeting at the New Jersey State Museum auditorium last month, it was openly stated that the federal government's policy on marijuana was a delusion. A delusion is a fixed, false belief. That the federal government's marijuana policy is fixed is quite clear -- it has not changed in 40 years. Marijuana was determined by Congress to be a Schedule I drug when it passed the Controlled Substances Act in 1970. A Schedule I drug has "no accepted medical uses in the United States," and is "unsafe for use even under medical supervision." The federal government's position on marijuana is also demonstrably false. [continues 720 words]
The University refuses to comment extensively on the matter and the story has somewhat laid low for the past 30 days, but the rejection to grow medical marijuana on University grounds was a mistake. The plans of being the state's sole marijuana grower went up in smoke after University officials turned down this financially beneficial and innovative move. As a research university, we are supposed to be groundbreaking, and this would have been the ideal opportunity - therefore the refusal to be the first university in the country to grow medical marijuana seems to be unfounded. According to the Associated Press, private businesses grow the drug in the 13 other states that permit medical marijuana. Being on the cusp of researching this newly legalized drug would have provided more than financial advantages. After all, we have the resources and Gov. Chris Christie supported the cause - the only hurdle was the Universities frightened attitude toward losing federal funding. [continues 267 words]
In response to your featured letter on Aug. 10 about Rutgers University's decision not to grow medical cannabis, it amazes me that a member of law enforcement could be "shocked" by that decision. Does anyone believe that the federal government wouldn't yank millions in funding from an institution that is very publicly breaking a federal law? Just ask Professor Lyle Craker, a horticulture professor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, how hard it is to get the Drug Enforcement Administration's permission to grow cannabis for medical research. [continues 138 words]
Law enforcement and drug treatment agencies are stepping up alerts for the newest drug to begin sweeping the country. The drug is typically marketed as incense or potpourri and known by such names as "K2," "Spice," "Genie," "Yucatan Fire," "Sence," "Smoke," "Skunk" and "Zohai." It produces a similar high of marijuana but the problem for law enforcement and others is that it is synthetic and completely legal in New Jersey and can be easily obtained in smoke shops and on the Internet. [continues 1047 words]
Regarding "End delays for medical marijuana" (Editorials, July 31) on New Jersey's stalled medical marijuana program: The drug war is largely a war on marijuana smokers. In 2008, there were 847,863 marijuana arrests in the U.S., almost 90 percent for simple possession. At a time when state and local governments are laying off police, firefighters and teachers, this country continues to spend enormous public resources criminalizing Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis. The result of this ongoing culture war is not necessarily lower rates of usage. [continues 87 words]
Regarding "Delay is more smoke" (Editorials, July 31) on New Jersey's stalled medical marijuana program: The drug war is largely a war on marijuana smokers. In 2008, there were 847,863 marijuana arrests in the United States, almost 90 percent for simple possession. At a time when state and local governments are laying off police, firefighters and teachers, this country continues to spend enormous public resources criminalizing Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis. The end result of this ongoing culture war is not necessarily lower rates of usage. [continues 83 words]
Inside New Jersey
