TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie Tuesday said he will
order state officials to quickly implement New Jersey’s
medical marijuana program, a move growers say could
allow the drug to be sold to chronically ill patients by the
end of the year.
Christie said the state health department should “move
forward as expeditiously as possible,” lifting a three-month
hold he imposed while waiting for federal law
enforcement officials to tell him whether state workers or
private growers would be vulnerable to arrest.
“I believe that the need to provide compassionate pain
relief to these citizens of our state outweighs the risk that
we are taking in moving forward with the program as it is
set up,” Christie said in a Statehouse news conference.
The green light from the administration means the six
nonprofit organizations authorized to sell the marijuana
will be told to get to work opening a store and begin
growing as soon as possible.
