| Photo: Livestream |
| N.J. Gov. Chris Christie: “I have been struggling — as has my administration — to try and find a way to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish … which is to provide compassionate treatment to people who are suffering” |
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced at a surprise press conference on Tuesday that he has decided to allow six Alternative Treatment Centers, as the state calls medical marijuana dispensaries, to move ahead.
The governor, who has been accused of deliberately stalling implementation of the medical marijuana law approved by the Legislature in January 2010, said he would take full responsibility for the move, reports Freedom Is Green.
“I have been struggling — as has my administration — to try and find a way to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish … which is to provide compassionate treatment to people who are suffering in a way that will not expose them, the operators of our dispensaries or employees of the State of New Jersey to criminal liability,” Christie said.
Gov. Christie, a former U.S. Attorney, took time to discuss the conflicts between state and federal laws when it comes to medical marijuana. He said that New Jersey’s medical marijuana law “is not a law that I would have signed,” pointing out that it was signed by his predecessor, Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine.
But, bottom line, Christie, a Republican, confirmed that the law was moving ahead.
“I have instructed the Commissioner of Health to move forward as expeditiously as possible to implement the [program],” Christie said.