Selling Cannabis In New Jersey
The medical-cannabis market, which is legal in 14 states, and is under
consideration in at least 12 other states, may benefit sick people.
However, it has proved a headache for regulators. Unlicensed
dispensaries, crooked doctors, and fake medical-need cases have
plagued early adopters like Colorado and California. For state
representatives who are in search of a way to provide the benefits of
medicinal cannabis without the threat of a freewheeling herb culture;
New Jersey may have an answer: state control.
Gov. Chris Christie recently approved a law allowing “medical
marijuana” or as most patients prefer to call it, prescription
cannabis. But he has put it on hold while he explores the possibility
of making Rutgers University the sole grower, and state-approved
hospitals the sole suppliers of medicinal cannabis. The
first-of-its-kind idea has drawn fire from patient advocates, who
worry that an official monopoly would limit both the variety of
cannabis and the number of outlets, making it harder for people to
fill their doctor’s orders. But as Colorado and California struggle to
rein in their markets retroactively, the New Jersey model may emerge
as a politically attractive middle ground, a way for lawmakers to look
cool but not soft. The state’s example could catch on, says Christie
spokesman Michael Drewniak, “If we do this right.”
