MMJ Called into Question by N.J. Rep
January 21st, 2009 by Alex
In response to the approval of the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act (in a 6-1 vote no less), Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini (R-Monmouth) recently published an editorial in the Trenton Times that pleaded with her constituency to think twice about the potential harm of medical marijuana.
Angelini asserts that any medicine ingested by smoking is counter-intuitive, and that the committee-approved legislation was reckless, because of the “unforseen and unintended consequences” of the bill’s provision – which includes the cultivation of up to six plants or obtaining MMJ from a state-authorized personal caregiver.
As far as op-eds against marijuana go, this one is actually written without the use of scare tactics or ‘the law is the law’ reasonings. Angelini makes her case against the “pothole” ridden legislation while still being clear that she is compassionate towards those that suffer.
Her biggest problem seems to be the cultivation aspect:
Allowing either the patient or their caregiver to possess six marijuana plants for harvesting, or creating alternative treatment centers to dispense this product should raise a red flag to those concerned with executing sound public policy. The average marijuana plant can produce anywhere from one to five pounds of smokeable materials per year, resulting in a total harvest of anywhere between six to 30 pounds of marijuana. Who will oversee its output and ensure that patients do not over-medicate, or that the excess production is not diverted to those who use marijuana for recreational purposes? I would argue that New Jersey is opening a Pandora’s box by traveling down this road.
The only problem is, whether you legislate it or not, people are going to get their hands on pot. That’s just a fact. They can either do it on dark street corners or through a registered caregiver. Which one makes sense to you?
