NJ Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act and Other Marijuana Users
The state of New Jersey enacts some of the most severe punishments for the usage, distribution, and possession of marijuana. People accused of a Princeton drug crime involving marijuana can face sentences of as little at 5 years or as great as 20 years without the option of parole for at least the first 10 years.
Suspects convicted of marijuana drug crimes in New Jersey can even face legal fines of over $20,000 in addition to 100 hours of community service, if the suspect is found within 1,000 feet of a school facility.
Despite New Jersey’s harsh penalties against marijuana possession and usage, in January, New Jersey passed the Compassionate Medical Marijuana Act. The New Jersey Office of Legislative Services notes that this new Act permits the legalization of marijuana only for those qualifying patients diagnosed by a physician as suffering from debilitating medical conditions, which can include epilepsy and glaucoma, that are resistant to conventional medical therapy.
Unlike other New Jersey residents, a qualifying patient for medical marijuana usage may not be prosecuted for their possession of marijuana, so long as the patient possesses a registration identification card along with a written certification of medical records.
The registration identification card must contain the patient’s information as well as the name of the patient’s caregiver.
Further, the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act authorizes the state to create alternative marijuana treatment centers where marijuana is produced and issued for a fee. Yet, the New Jersey Act contains a provision where the State is not liable for the side effects of the medical marijuana administered at the alternative marijuana treatment centers.
For many New Jersey residents, this Act may stand in great contradiction towards the way that New Jersey laws punish those convicted of marijuana drug crimes. This law permits one group of individuals to be completely exempt from the ramifications of marijuana usage, while severely punishing others who feel that they should be free to use marijuana as well.
While non-medical uses of marijuana remain currently illegal, the New Jersey marijuana defense attorneys of Lependorf & Silverstein will continue to offer effective, aggressive legal representation for marijuana drug cases. Call our office today at 609-240-0040 for your free legal consultation.
