Chris Christie OKs More Medical Marijuana for Kids

But wants lawmakers to tweak the bill a little
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 16, 2013 3:30 PM CDT
Chris Christie OKs More Medical Marijuana for Children
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks to fellow Republicans, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2013 during the Republican National Committee summer meeting in Boston.   (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds, Pool)

Kids in New Jersey are a signature away from gaining easier access to medical marijuana, CNN reports. Gov. Chris Christie today agreed to sign a medical-marijuana bill if lawmakers would make two changes:

  • Make edible marijuana forms available to qualified children, not to everyone
  • Require a psychiatrist and pediatrician to sign off on the minor's prescription
New Jersey's current law grants patients access to medical marijuana, but this bill would allow more strains to be grown and ease the application process for kids.

Children currently need three letters of approval for medical marijuana, and the new bill would require just one; seems Christie is splitting the difference. The bill would also allow for medical marijuana in edible form to be packaged and distributed. Christie reached his decision under pressure from the father of an epileptic girl who may benefit from a marijuana strain that isn't yet available in New Jersey. But Christie, a possible presidential hopeful for the GOP in 2016, said it's still a tough decision: "These are complicated issues," he told the father. "I know you think it's simple and it's not." (More Chris Christie stories.)

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