New Jersey Legalizes Medical Marijuana
On January, 18, 2010, Governor Jon Corzine, on his last day in office, signed a measure, the “Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana” law, making New Jersey the 14th state to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes. Based on an nj.com article, the marijuana bill (S119) is anticipated to take effect within six months. However, not just anyone is legally permitted to utilize medical marijuana.
According to the report, patients will be able to get a prescription for marijuana if they have the following illnesses: cancer, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, seizure disorder, HIV/AIDS, severe muscle spasms, Lou Gehrig’s disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), muscular dystrophy, Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and any terminal illness if a doctor believes the patient has only a year left to live. The new law will allow the state health department to include other illnesses in addition to the above list when it develops rules of implementation for those specific calamities.
A major and important restriction included with the approval of the new law is the ban against individuals growing their own marijuana, even if it is for medical reasons. This is to ensure that marijuana be dispensed through licensed “alternative treatment centers.” Also, designated caretakers for severely ill individuals will be required to have criminal background checks.
The stigma against medicinal marijuana use, although strong, is not as potentially devastating as the societal scorn an individual may face for unrelated medical marijuana or drug use. Even if a person is not convicted for a drug or marijuana crime, being arrested for such offenses may be enough to cause that person to lose his or her job as well as endure many other negative consequences. Therefore, if you have been arrested for a marijuana-related crime, you may want to consider having a skilled New Jersey marijuana defense attorney on your side that will fight to defend your reputation and your rights.
The experienced and aggressive criminal defense lawyers at Lependorf & Silverstein have been defending the rights of those arrested for a wide range of crimes, including marijuana offenses, for many years and know what it takes to get charges reduced or dismissed altogether. Contact Lependorf & Silverstein today for a free consultation by calling 609-240-0040.
Source article: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/medical_marijuana_law_to_take.html
