Testing It Up

New Jersey has become the 14th state to legalize the use of medical marijuana. Outgoing Governor Jon Corzine, who is known to support medical marijuana, signed the “New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act” into a law on Monday night – one of the last bills he signed on his last full day as governor of the state.

The provisions of the law include protection from arrest and prosecution for possession and transportation of marijuana for patients who are allowed to use it for medical purposes as well as the establishment of state-regulated distribution of medical marijuana by “Alternative Treatment Centers”.

Caren Woodson, Government Affairs Director for largest medical marijuana advocacy group in the US, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), gave the following statement: “We applaud the New Jersey legislature and Governor Corzine for addressing the needs of medical marijuana patients in their state. The passage of New Jersey’s law represents the continuation of commonsense health policies and it’s only a matter of time before the federal government catches up.”

The New Jersey Law has been touted as one of the strictest among the laws that are in force in other states. For one, they have the strictest limitations in as far as approved medical conditions are concerned. The law protects patients who are suffering from serious diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis from prosecution, but does not include those who are suffering from chronic pain, unless, of course, the pain is brought about by HIV/AIDS, cancer, or other allowable illnesses.

The law also set the limit for consumption on a monthly basis to 2 ounces, an amount that may not sufficiently meet the needs of patients, according to advocates.

One more state is a step closer towards joining the ranks of Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Lawmakers in New Jersey approved Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act on Monday. With Democratic Governor John Crozine’s support of the legislation, this one looks like it is definitely in the bag and may be signed into a law before the governor will leave office next week.

The bill is co-sponsored by Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, who reportedly has been pushing the bill for years. Among his reasons for advocating medical marijuana is its potential for alleviating the suffering of patients; he also said that there is no evidence that use of marijuana eventually leads to an increase in overall drug use.

Among the stipulations in the bill is the allowing of patients with medical conditions such as cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis to purchase a maximum of two ounces of marijuana on a monthly basis from marijuana dispensaries monitored by the state. The Department of Health will now be authorized to issue registry cards to patients who have “debilitating medical conditions” that signify that they are allowed to use marijuana. To qualify, patients need to be able to demonstrate the following symptoms: severe or chronic pain, nausea, seizures, muscle spasms or wasting syndrome.

Possession of a registry card will mean immunity “from arrest or prosecution for the medical use of marijuana”.

The New Jersey legislation is reportedly the strictest medical marijuana bill in the country, according to the bill’s co-sponsor himself, Reed Gusciora. Lawmakers were reportedly particular about not following the in the footsteps of California’s rather liberal medical marijuana laws. New Jersey medical marijuana users, for instance, will not be allowed to grow their own marijuana.

Medical marijuana advocates as well as patients who would like to benefit from medical marijuana expressed approval over the decision of the Legislature, including Roseanne Scotti, Director of Drug Policy Alliance New Jersey.

Michigan Drug Screening

In an effort to stem the damaging toll of prescription drug abuse among teens and other users New Jersey offered citizens the opportunity to get rid of their unwanted drugs safely. As a part of Operation Medicine Cabinet 70 South Jersey Police stations accepted unwanted drugs. The program was offered by the Drug Enforcement Administration, New Jersey’s, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey and the Attorney General’s Office and could become an annual event. As much as 20% of the US population of citizens 12 years of age and older have abused prescription drugs according to NIDA. Most common users are teens, older adults and women.

According to a survey among 12^th graders done in 2007 7 out of 10 drugs abused were over the counter or prescription drugs. Almost 10% of these teens reported having abused Vicodin and as many as 4.7% reported trying OxyContin two of the most powerful pain medications. Percocet, Codeine, Xanax and Valium were also reported among those abused.

New Jersey hopes that their step in collecting such drugs will become a national standard that could help stem the flow of prescription drug abuse across the country by removing the availability of such drugs. No questions were asked about the source of the drugs and no id was taken from those who dropped off their unwanted drugs. Despite media attention for the abuse of these drugs many parents still focus on the use of illegal drugs instead of the more serious problem of prescription drug abuse. Many parents aren’t aware of the problem as well.

One of the most awaited developments in the fight against the swine flu pandemic is the news that a swine flu vaccine will become available by September of 2009. Despite this groundbreaking news, however, surveys and studies have revealed that the public are not really that eager to avail of the swine flu vaccine.

One reason involves doubts about the effectiveness of the swine flu vaccine. Pharmaceutical companies have only begun work on the vaccine early 2009. The swine flu vaccine is fast-tracked and went through clinical studies only recently. There was not a lot of time spent on the development of the vaccine, which made people think twice about how effective it really is.

Another reason is fear about the possible side effects of the swine flu vaccine. People recall the swine flu outbreak in New Jersey in 1976, which prompted millions of people to get inoculated with the swine flu vaccine available back then. However, the predicted outbreak did not happen, and the vaccine produced serious side effects in some people.

For full version of this article, please visit “Swine Flu Vaccine – Advantages and Disadvantages“.

Marijuana is a drug derived from the plant, Cannabis sativa, which is part of the Cannabaceae family. Cannabis sativa has been used throughout the different parts of the world at countless times in recorded history for various reasons, such as fiber, oil, food, drug, and medicine.

Marijuana is a combination of green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers. It can be smoked through a cigarette or a pipe. It can also be incorporated in food and in tea. It also comes in the form of hashish, which is a concentrated and sticky black liquid form of marijuana.

The marijuana contains an active chemical called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. It binds to certain protein receptors in the brain and serves as a catalyst for a series of cellular reactions leading to a feeling of being “high”. As it affects the brain, several health risks or health benefits may be involved.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the health risks involve short term effects such as “distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, and problems with learning and memory”. Also, marijuana is said to be potentially addictive. Users may develop tolerance to the effects of marijuana and may seek larger amounts to get their “high.”

On the other hand, marijuana can be used for health benefits. In New Jersey, a bill called “The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act” has been passed and voted favorably on. It will now then go to the Senate for a vote, maybe as early as January 2009.

An organization called the Coalition for Medical Marijuana–New Jersey (CMM-NJ) has the following mission: to bring about safe and legal access to medical marijuana for New Jersey patients who are under the care of licensed physicians and nurse practitioners. It has been noted in studies that marijuana has benefits, such as treating symptoms of different diseases, including nausea as an effect of cancer chemotherapy, pain related to cancer, reduction of pressure in the eyes in patients with glaucoma, and protection of nerve damage in multiple sclerosis.

This bill on the use of medical marijuana has actually been facing a lot of criticisms lately. Which side are you on?