Lea Kahn

Lawrence Ledger

Lawrence, NJ Dec 1, 2005 -- The Lawrence-based Coalition for Medical Marijuana-New Jersey wants the Garden State to join 10 other states that allow the medicinal use of marijuana.

New Jersey would become the 11th state in the nation to allow the medicinal use of marijuana without fear of criminal penalties, if the Coalition for Medical Marijuana-New Jersey has its way.

California was the first state to allow marijuana to be used under strict guidelines for medicinal purposes, said Lawrence resident Ken Wolski, who is the chief executive officer of CMMNJ. California has been joined by Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington, according to Mr. Wolski.

State Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Linden) sponsored a bill in the state Senate earlier this year that would allow patients to use marijuana under strict regulations, but the bill stalled, said Mr. Wolski.

CMMNJ, which is a volunteer-driven organization, would like the bill