7/19/2011 – Governor Chris Christie called a surprise press conference today to address the stalled medical marijuana law. Taking full responsibility, he has decided to allow six Alternative Treatment Centers to move ahead.
“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.”
Governor Christie is a former US Attorney and spent a significant amount of time discussing the intersections and conflicts between state and federal laws.
But, in the end, Christie 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].”
The full press conference video is below.
This is a breaking story – updates soon.