NORML NJ National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, New Jersey » corzine

Action Alert: Ask Gov. For A Medical Marijuana Pardon!

B0ard — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:05:53 +0000

UPDATE - Please continue to contact Gov. Corzine and the state Attorney General’s office and demand justice for MS patient John Wilson. On 12/17/09 John was convicted of second and third degree felony offenses and faces up to 5 years in prison. For your convenience, a pre-written letter will be e-mailed to Gov. Corzine and the AG’s office when you enter your contact information.

CLICK HERE TO SEND A LETTER NOW!

For more information about this campaign, please contact NORML New Jersey or the Coalition for Medical Marijuana – New Jersey.

NEWS: NJ Senators Ask For Pardon on Medical Marijuana

B0ard — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:33:39 +0000

Chris Goldstein, John Wilson and Ken Wolski

10/27/2009 by Chris Goldstein

In a major development in New Jersey today, two of the state Senators sponsoring The Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act asked for Governor Corzine to pardon John Ray Wilson.

John faces 15 years in state prison for being caught with 17 marijuana plants that he grew to treat MS.

Look for more info this week on this unprecedented action on behalf of medical marijuana rights in New Jersey at www.cmmnj.org

Here’s the first part of the official press release issued 4PM today. READ IN FULL HERE

SCUTARI AND LESNIAK ASK FOR PARDON OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA USER

Lawmakers Say Imprisonment of Somerset County Man Suffering with MS is Inhumane, Illegal and Inconsistent with Direction of State’s Drug Policies

TRENTON – Calling the prosecution of a self-medicating Somerset County man with multiple sclerosis (MS) a “severe, inappropriate, discompassionate and inhumane application of the letter of the law,” Senators Nicholas P. Scutari and Raymond J. Lesniak today urged Governor Jon Corzine to pardon Franklin Township resident John Ray Wilson, and called on the Assembly to quickly move legislation to decriminalize the medicinal use of marijuana by New Jerseyans with chronic and terminal illnesses.

“It seems cruel and unusual to treat New Jersey’s sick and dying as if they were drug cartel kingpins. Moreover, it is a complete waste of taxpayer money having to house and treat an MS patient in a jail at the public’s expense,” said Senator Scutari, D-Union, Middlesex and Somerset. “Specifically, in the case of John Ray Wilson, the State is taking a fiscally irresponsible hard-line approach against a man who’s simply seeking what little relief could be found from the debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis. Governor Corzine should step in immediately and end this perversion of criminal drug statutes in the Garden State.”

“Without compassion and a sense of moral right and wrong, laws are worth less than the paper they’re printed on,” said Senator Lesniak, D-Union. “New Jersey’s tough criminal drug laws were never intended to be used against patients suffering from chronic and terminal medical conditions. The prosecutors and presiding judge have set up a scenario where Mr. Wilson is no different than a common street thug in the eyes of the law.”

READ IN FULL RELEASE HERE

More information on medical marijuana in New Jersey at www.cmmnj.org

NORML-NJ Board Member Gets Medi-Pot Into Governor Debate

B0ard — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:44:50 +0000

10/8/2009 – NORML-NJ Executive Director

Last week New Jersey Network’s NJN News took their cameras to the street looking for questions to pose to the candidates for Governor. Rick Cusick, a NORML-NJ Board Member and the Associate Publisher of High Times Magazine, took the opportunity to ask the candidates their view on medical marijuana.

The question ended up being posed directly to Democrat Jon Corzine, Republican Chris Christie and Independent Chris Daggett. Video of Rick was shown during the first televised debate of the 2009 election on NJN. All three supported medical cannabis access. The surprise was Republican Christie, who in the past had criticized any concept of medical marijuana.

Candidates on medical marijuana

The media picked up on the candidates’ answers to the issue from The New York Times to network television news.

The Newark Star-Ledger printed the transcript of those answers today http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/10/nj_gubernatorial_candidates_ad_1.html

Corzine: “I’d sign that legislation. I want to make sure, as it goes through the Assembly, that it has the right constraints on it but I think we’re in the zone. I need to actually run through it with my counsel, all of the alternatives, but I think we’re close. I think we ought to move to this quickly. I think the people who would benefit from it, we would want to get to that sooner rather than later. I don’t think this, in any way, should be allowed to be a back-door access to recreational marijuana and we’ll make sure any bill that comes to my desk that gets my signature, we’re secure in that.”

Christie: “I do think that we can do a little bit better on the restrictions. I do favor allowing folks who have serious illnesses — in a restricted number of illnesses — to have medical marijuana to alleviate suffering. I do want to make sure that we don’t have what’s gone on in California, where you have marijuana shops all over the place and people who are not really using it for serious illnesses. The current legislation, I think, is still a little bit weak on restrictions. I’d want to see it tightened up a little bit, but assuming that we could do that I would support it. I would take an active part in trying to make it the best bill we could so that I’d be able to sign it. It’s something that I would like to have be available to people who have significant pain and suffering issues connected with tragic illness.”

Daggett: “I don’t know all the details of the bill. I generally support the use of marijuana for medical purposes as long as it can be done in a way that targets its use by the intended patient and has adequate safeguards against misuse or illegal use. I would be willing to consider being actively involved but I tend to also agree in the separation of various parts of the government. The Legislature will likely want to put its stamp on it in its own way and we need to let that process have its own course.”

NORML-NJ’s Board and volunteers would like to thank Rick for making medical marijuana a priority in the debate! This was a great example of how effective speaking up can be for the vital issues of marijuana reform.

NORML would also like to point out to the candidates that The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act would already be the most conservative marijuana program in the United States. The restrictions already included into the bill far exceed anything that exists in the 13 states that already allow for safe cannabis access.

Though some work still needs to be done, there is nothing more sensible than passing the medical marijuana bill in 2009.

Rick Cusick will be speaking on behalf of NORML-NJ at Rutgers University New Brunswick on October 19^th. More information is available at www.normlnj.org .

NORML-NJ will be having an open public meeting on October 20^th at 7:00PM. We will gather at the Dog House Saloon 270 Pascack Road Washington Township, NJ 07676.

Medical marijuana information and how NORML volunteers can support the local effort will be the lead topic at the meeting.

For more information please contact NORML-NJ director@normlnj.org www.normlnj.org