New Jersey Medical Cannabis Program Stifled
Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey wants to expand medical cannabis in his home state, claiming it has been stifled over the past eight years.
According to CBS New York, Murphy just signed an executive order that was partially inspired by the family of Jake “The Tank” Honig, a seven-year-old boy who recently passed away after struggling with a brain tumor, and Leo Bridgewater, a veteran who uses cannabis for CBD.
Murphy feels that under Gov. Chris Christie, not enough patients had access to cannabis. Requirements for qualifying were stringent, and there were fewer than 15,000 patients total in the entire state. Since many states that are similar in size to New Jersey have hundreds of thousands of patients, this is a very low number.
“The roadblocks put in place by the past administration mean that the law’s spirit has been stifled,” Murphy explained to CBS New York. “We’re not much farther along.”
The family of the late Jake Honig flew to Trenton, New Jersey to be with the governor as he signed the bill. They explained that without cannabis oil, Jake couldn’t even take a sip of water, and that the substance made all the difference for him.
“Some people say ‘how can you give your child marijuana?’ We envy the person who says that,” said Mike, Jake’s father, when speaking with CBS New York. “Because a person who questions how someone can give their kid marijuana is a person who was never in a position where they had to try.”
“A stronger and fairer New Jersey embraces comprehensive criminal justice reform—including a process to legalize marijuana,” promised Murphy in his inaugural speech, according to the New York Times.
New Jersey has long since been trying to expand their medical program and this is definitely a positive step in the right direction.
