On Monday, January 11, 2010, the New Jersey lawmakers passed a measure that would make the use of marijuana legal, specifically for helping patients with chronic illnesses. New Jersey is the 14th state in the US to approve and legalize marijuana use for medical purposes.

The law would make the use of marijuana for illnesses like cancer, AIDS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis legal in the state, but under careful regulation by doctors. It would also allow the growing and distribution of marijuana by state-monitored dispensaries. It was passed by the New Jersey General Assembly and State Senate on the last day of their session.

The approval of the said legislature comes after years of lobbying by different advocate groups in support of more lenient and less restrictive drug laws. It was nearly derailed though as some Democratic lawmakers withdrew their support. Elected Governor Christopher J. Christie, a Republican, also expressed hesitation about it.

New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine signed the measure into law last January 19. Supporters of the legislature promised that within nine months, patients qualified for the use of marijuana and cleared by their doctors will be able to obtain it in six different locations in the state.

Though it was predicted that the bill would not push through without opposition, it was still passed with comfortable margins in the two houses, 48-14 and 25-13 in the General Assembly and in the State Senate, respectively.

Reed Gusciora, a Princeton Democrat and one of the legislation’s sponsors, said that the law would be one of the most restrictive in the nation as it would only allow doctors to prescribe marijuana for only a set of serious, chronic illnesses.

In addition, the said law will not allow patients suffering from the qualified diseases to grow their own marijuana and use it in public. The state would also regulate marijuana usage under the strictest conditions similar to the state’s regulation of other opiates like Oxycontin and morphine.

Legislators made sure to address the fears of the state’s residents by working closely with the US Department of Health and the Senior Services in adding regulations and restrictions to the bill.