The New Jersey Department of Health announced this week that physicians can now register qualified patients for the state's medical marijuana program—a move that won support for Republican Gov. Chris Christie from the first dispensary to open in the Garden State. "At one point we felt that the progression of the program installation was slow," according to Julio Valentin of Greenleaf Compassion in Montclair. "But we understand that Gov. Christie and the state of New Jersey is doing the best they can to cross their T's and dot their I's to make this program as successful as possible." Valentin, who intends to hang a framed photo of Christie on the walls of the dispensary, hails the governor for giving them "the green light." (ABC News, Aug. 10)
Graphic: Herbal Remedies
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Limits on NJ dispensaries upheld
The state Department of Health was well within its right to limit the operation of New Jersey's first medical marijuana dispensaries to non-profit organizations, a panel of the state Court of Appeals ruled Oct. 4, upholding the law establishing the controversial program. The three-judge panel rejected an effort by Natural Medical Inc. and its owner, Nir Shalit, to force the state to open the application process to for-profit companies. In setting up the program, the state legislature said it would start with six dispensaries — two each in the northern, central and southern regions of the state — run by non-profit agencies.
Shalit contended the state should not have limited them to non-profits and should not have put the cutoff at six. But the judges said the state Department of Health acted within the guidelines of the law. “We do not consider it unreasonable to fix a minimum number at the outset of the program while gauging the need for additional ATCs once the program becomes operational,” the decision said, referring to the alternative treatment centers established by the law. (Newark Star-Ledger, Oct. 6)
Christie flip-flops
Singing a different tune now that he has presidential ambitions. It goes like this: "Marijuana is a gateway drug. We have an enormous addiction problem in this country. And we need to send very clear leadership from the White House on down through the federal law enforcement. Marijuana is an illegal drug under federal law. And the states should not be permitted to sell it and profit from it." (Reason, Inquisitr) Still hanging this guy's portrait in your dispensary?