SCUTARI AND LESNIAK ASK FOR PARDON OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA USER

Lawmakers Say Imprisonment of Somerset County Man Suffering with MS is Inhumane, Illegal and Inconsistent with Direction of State’s Drug Policies

TRENTON – Calling the prosecution of a self-medicating Somerset County man with multiple sclerosis (MS) a “severe, inappropriate, discompassionate and inhumane application of the letter of the law,” Senators Nicholas P. Scutari and Raymond J. Lesniak today urged Governor Jon Corzine to pardon Franklin Township resident John Ray Wilson, and called on the Assembly to quickly move legislation to decriminalize the medicinal use of marijuana by New Jerseyans with chronic and terminal illnesses.

“It seems cruel and unusual to treat New Jersey’s sick and dying as if they were drug cartel kingpins. Moreover, it is a complete waste of taxpayer money having to house and treat an MS patient in a jail at the public’s expense,” said Senator Scutari, D-Union, Middlesex and Somerset. “Specifically, in the case of John Ray Wilson, the State is taking a fiscally irresponsible hard-line approach against a man who’s simply seeking what little relief could be found from the debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis. Governor Corzine should step in immediately and end this perversion of criminal drug statutes in the Garden State.”

SCUTARI AND LESNIAK ASK FOR PARDON OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA USER

Lawmakers Say Imprisonment of Somerset County Man Suffering with MS is Inhumane, Illegal and Inconsistent with Direction of State’s Drug Policies

TRENTON – Calling the prosecution of a self-medicating Somerset County man with multiple sclerosis (MS) a “severe, inappropriate, discompassionate and inhumane application of the letter of the law,” Senators Nicholas P. Scutari and Raymond J. Lesniak today urged Governor Jon Corzine to pardon Franklin Township resident John Ray Wilson, and called on the Assembly to quickly move legislation to decriminalize the medicinal use of marijuana by New Jerseyans with chronic and terminal illnesses.

“It seems cruel and unusual to treat New Jersey’s sick and dying as if they were drug cartel kingpins. Moreover, it is a complete waste of taxpayer money having to house and treat an MS patient in a jail at the public’s expense,” said Senator Scutari, D-Union, Middlesex and Somerset. “Specifically, in the case of John Ray Wilson, the State is taking a fiscally irresponsible hard-line approach against a man who’s simply seeking what little relief could be found from the debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis. Governor Corzine should step in immediately and end this perversion of criminal drug statutes in the Garden State.”

SCUTARI LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR BILL RECEIVES FINAL LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL

Bill Would Set Framework for Campaign Finance and Disclosure Rules, Establish Debate Between Publicly-Financed Candidates

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Nicholas P. Scutari which would establish campaign finance and disclosure standards and debate rules for New Jersey’s new Lieutenant Governor position was approved by the Assembly today by a vote of 66-12, with one abstention, receiving final legislative approval.

“This November, voters in New Jersey will go to the polls for the first time to vote for a leadership team, not just a Governor,” said Senator Scutari, D-Union, Middlesex and Somerset. “While past acting Governors have done an exemplary job to serve the people of New Jersey, the new Lieutenant Governor position will ensure consistency and predictability in the path of succession, and whoever’s elected will hopefully play a major role in shaping the direction of the State. We need to ensure that the candidates running under the Governor, this November and into the future, are subject to the same reporting, spending and contribution limits as other candidates for office in the Garden State.”

SCUTARI-WHELAN 'NEW JERSEY COMPASSIONATE USE MEDICAL MARIJUANA ACT' ADVANCES IN ASSEMBLY

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Nicholas P. Scutari and Jim Whelan to legalize medical marijuana for those suffering from chronic and terminal diseases was approved by the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee today by a vote of 8-1, with 2 abstentions.

“Through this bill, New Jersey is sending a message that compassion for the sick and dying is of paramount importance,” said Senator Scutari, D-Union, Middlesex and Somerset. “For those people suffering from chronic and terminal illnesses, who live in constant pain or are at death’s door, we must provide access to medical marijuana if it will help relieve their symptoms or give them a measure of comfort in their final hours. New Jersey gains no benefit from going after sick and dying people, who have run out of options and are otherwise law-abiding citizens.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Nicholas P. Scutari and Jim Whelan to create an avenue of legality for medical marijuana for those suffering from chronic and terminal diseases was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 22-16.

"If medical marijuana can ease some of the suffering of a patient who’s dying from a chronic, severe or terminal disease, state government should not stand in the way of that relief," said Senator Scutari (D-Union, Middlesex and Somerset). "This bill is about giving health care professionals options in treating their patients’ pain and suffering, and giving those patients a measure of dignity and comfort in facing a terminal disease. While we should rightfully maintain a tough stance on the recreational abuse of drugs, we must take a compassionate and humane approach to bringing relief to those patients who have nowhere else to turn."

"A number of healthcare studies have highlighted the benefits of marijuana use in treating severe and potentially fatal diseases, and the side effects associated with the treatment of those diseases," said Senator Whelan, D-Atlantic, and a member of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. "If this drug can bring relief where established methods of pain management have failed, we need to give doctors in this State the authority to prescribe it. We’re not talking about the legalization of pot, but rather about giving suffering New Jerseyans a small bit of comfort in what could be their final days."