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Jan 13
2010
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New Jersey Assembly Passes Medical Marijuana Law but Leaves Out Cannabis PlantPosted by: Devin Calloway in Legislation on Jan 13, 2010 Tagged in: Medical Marijuana
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New Jersey Assembly recently passed the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act becoming a major medical cannabis victory for the North East joining Vermont, Rhode Island, and Maine. Governor Jon Corzine, who leaves office on the 19th, said he would sign the bill into law which would make New Jersey the 14th state to legalize cannabis for medical use. The new legislation would be the most restrictive medical marijuana law in the country, only allowing for patients with a terminal illness or debilitating condition, such as cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, glaucoma, Crohn's disease, muscular dystrophy and Lou Gehrig's disease, but not for chronic pain. This will exclude many people who may need the medicinal herb.
After reading through legislative Text of A804, it came to my attention that “Cannabis,” the scientific plant name for the slang word “marijuana,” was completely omitted. How are you going to pass a so-called “medical” law when the medical classification of the plant is not even used in the bill’s legal text? Cannabis was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia from 1850 until 1942 (Wikipedia) not “Marijuana”. Would the FDA approve a drug like Oxycontin and call it “smack” or “dope?” The word “Marijuana” may flow smooth off the tongue but when it comes to being politically correct the term is slang and even racist (I will discuss in a future post).
Despite the poor nomenclature, the passing of the New Jersey Medical Marijuana Compassionate Use Act is positive “marijuana” momentum for the tri-state area. The New York Assembly Medical Marijuana bill S4041B is up next… which specifically mentions “LEAVES AND FLOWERS OF THE PLANT OF THE GENUS CANNABIS.”
New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act - A804 Text
New York Assembly Medical Marijuana Bill - S4041B Text
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk 300x200]
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