Medicinal Marijuana Bill Approved in Legislature
A new bill has passed through the Assembly and Senate which would allow some severely ill patients in New Jersey to be treated with medicinal marijuana. Governor Corzine has said that he will sign the bill into law. This bill is that much closer to becoming law after the Assembly voted 48-14 in favor of the bill (this means that 14 New Jersey lawmakers skipped the vote). The Senate voted in favor of the bill 25-13. According to lawmakers, this will be the "strictest medical marijuana law in the nation" as the bill was carefully drafted to include many hurdles and safeguards to make the medicinal marijuana hard to obtain. Also, according to the Asbury Press Article, the criminal laws will still apply to those individuals who are legally prescribed marijuana and get behind the wheel of a car. These individuals would still face driving while intoxicated (DWI) charges based on their choice to drive while under the influence of marijuana. It will be interesting to see if this bill actually becomes law and the ramifications for criminal law in New Jersey.
