On January 11, 2010 the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act was passed by the Legislature and later signed by then-governor Jon Corzine. It marked the 14th US state to create legal access to cannabis for seriously ill residents.Lawmakers and advocates expected the program to be running by the fall of 2010 but the new governor, Chris Christie, has put up significant hurdles in the regulatory process.Currently there is no medical marijuana program running in the Garden State. The NJ Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) launched a controversial physician registry for doctors to begin recommending cannabis to their patents.DHSS representatives said in a phone call today that 69 doctors in 18 counties had registered so far, but the system to allow the registry of patients has not been brought online.