Coalition For Medical Marijuana NJ Calls Christie Program “Kafkaesque”

Chris Christie says he’s trying to ensure that medical marijuana will be used for approved patients and won’t become as easily accessible for recreational use in the Garden State as it has in California and Colorado. Today, December 13, state senators — led by Senator Nick Scutari — will vote on a resolution which will require the Department of Health and Senior Services to change parts of the proposed regulations.

Ken Wolski, RN, MPA, Executive Director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey, told Baristanet that none of the governor’s concerns about other states’ leniency in administering prescriptions for medical marijuana have anything to do with NJ’s law. “We think he’s absolutely wrong in comparing the programs,” Wolski said. “The law itself has safeguards to protect NJ from the excesses that occur in California and Colorado.”

Wolski believes that as they are now, all the regulations will stop the program from working, and will prohibit treatment centers from even getting up and running. “It’s Kafkaesque. There are scores of pages regarding treatment centers that will make it difficult and very expensive for them to even apply, let alone operate.”

“We think the law will pass today, and have been told that the senate has enough votes.” Passage will give the Department of Health 30 days to rewrite the rules.

“We hope the DOH will come out with regulations consistent with the law. If not, there will be legitimately qualifyied patients suffering unnecessarily for years to come.”