A relatively short diary - this afternoon, the NJ State Assembly voted to legalize marijuana for medical purposes.
Update: This evening, the NJ Senate passed the bill. Outgoing governor Jon Corzine will sign it before he leaves office.
More after the flip.
This is indeed good news.
Earlier today, New Jersey became the 14th state to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes. The state assembly voted overwhelmingly to enact the legislation. Since the bill had already been reconciled with the New Jersey Senate's version, it's fairly certain that Senate approval later this evening is a foregone conclusion.
Outgoing governor Jon Corzine has said that he'll sign the bill immediately. Even incoming GOP governor Chris Christie had signaled that he approved of the legislation.
Here's the NYT lede:
The New Jersey Assembly approved a measure on Monday that would make the state the first in the region and the 14th in the nation to legalize the use of marijuana for medical reasons.
The measure was to be voted on by the State Senate later in the afternoon, the final day of the legislative session. If passed, it would allow patients diagnosed with severe illnesses like cancer, AIDS, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis to have access to marijuana distributed through state-monitored dispensaries...
The law is more restrictive than California, to be sure. But for those who suffer from chronic (or even terminal) diseases, the bill makes sense. And, it's certainly a start in terms of at least opening the door for further studies.
Here's a link to the NORML NJ forum on the topic.
I'll update as necessary.
UPDATE: Both the Assembly and Senate have now passed the bill. NJ.com has the details:
TRENTON -- Both houses of the Legislature approved a bill today legalizing medical marijuana.
The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 25-13, with no debate. The Assembly approved the measure 48-14. It now goes to the desk of Gov. Jon Corzine who has said he would sign the bill before leaving office Jan. 19.