Issue

There is legislation pending in New Jersey that would establish the “New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act” and will set up a “medical” marijuana program, similar to the one in California. The bill —S119— is sponsored by

Senators Scutari and Whelan and A-804 is sponsored by Assemblymen Gusciora, Carroll and Voss.

Who really uses “medical” marijuana?

Advocates of the legislation claim that “medical” marijuana helps seriously ill people with cancer or AIDS or glaucoma.

They paint a picture of elderly ill people who need it for pain relief. However, “medical” marijuana patient records from California show that 62% were between 17 and 35 years of age; and 71% were between 17 and 40. Only 2.05% of customers obtained physician recommendations for AIDS, glaucoma or cancer. An extremely high number of people were using “medical” marijuana for insomnia, anxiety and depression. Source: Report from the Sand Diego County District Attorney

It’s easily accessible …

This legislation makes it very easy to get marijuana. If you are over age 18, you can obtain marijuana by claiming to have pain or spasms or nausea and receive medical marijuana card from a physician after a quick examination. The card permits

one to smoke as much as you’d like for as long as you want to. The legislation would permit growing of up to six marijuana plants (they can generate over 28,000 joints per year). An 18-year-old high school football player who is hurt in

a game can get marijuana. A pregnant 18-year-old woman can get it if she has nausea in her first trimester. (Sections 3 and 4 (a)(2) of the bill)

“Medical” marijuana leads to increased access and perceived availability for kids. Perceived availability of drugs is a risk factor predictive of later use. NJ Middle School students who report that it is easy to obtain illicit drugs have higher levels

of use. The large amount of marijuana permitted by this bill is unregulated and can easily be diverted for recreational use.

Eight of the ten states with the highest percentage of young people (age 12-25) who used marijuana in the past month were “medical” marijuana states. They are also the majority of states in the top ten for first time marijuana use.

It’s not the only option …

If you want a cannabis-based medicine, you do not have to smoke marijuana. There are two FDA approved cannabinoid drugs already approved by the FDA—Marinol and Cesamet. The FDA has determined that legalizing smoked marijuana for medical use is unsafe. NJ should not override the FDA process.

It’s dangerous …

There are no established doses for smoked marijuana. It’s unclear how it interacts with other drugs or medical conditions.

There is much evidence that a smoking marijuana harms sick people.

It’s counter intuitive to NJ’s Clean Air Act …

Under the proposed legislation, you can smoke marijuana in most public places, including in full view of children. (Section 7)

NJ should not model other states experiences...for example, California, who legalized medical marijuana 12 years ago, has seen: increased crime, increased substance abuse, decreased perception of the harm of marijuana by youth and adults,

increased drug trafficking, and an overall acceptance of the use of marijuana for many other reasons than the purported medicinal purpose.

In closing …

While we strive to be a compassionate society, there must be a balance between alleviating or managing pain and creating a system that potentially does more harm than good. The road that medical marijuana legislation is traveling is laden with

potholes. There are many unanswered questions regarding this serious public policy issue.

For More Information, please contact: Safe Approved Medicine for NJ (SAM for NJ), 2109 Pennington Rd., Trenton, NJ 08638 (800) 588-9903, samfornj@aol.com website: www.samfornewjersey.org. We urge you to join numerous NJ and National medical organizations opposed to smoke marijuana as medicine.