Over the last few months, governors in Minnesota, New Hampshire and Rhode Island vetoed medical-marijuana bills. But there is at least one gov who has promised to sign legislation if such a bill would come across his desk. That's New Jersey Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine, who's running for re-election on Nov. 3..

In a recent debate with his two opponents, Republican Chris Christie and Independent Chris Daggett, Corzine did not hesitate when asked for his position on the New Jersey Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana Act, which passed the Senate last February and is awaiting a vote by the Assembly.

"I'll sign the bill!" Corzine emphatically declared.

Christie, a former U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, was less than supportive of the bill: "We do not want people who have a headache to be able to get medical marijuana. Where there is true pain and suffering that can be helped by this I would be in favor of, but there have to be sufficient legal safeguards to make sure we don't turn into California and everybody with a headache is going out and getting high."

Corzine could barely contain his laughter. "If you have a headache, it probably should be excluded from the reasons why people get medical marijuana," he retorted. "I suspect that the bills that I have seen and our counsel has counseled on have very strict restriction and I would sign the bill.

Christie countered that the "safeguards" in the Senate bill "need to be strengthened beyond where they are now."

Daggett took the middle ground: "I generally support the use of marijuana for medical purposes as long as it can be done in a way that targets its use by the intended patient and has adequate safeguards against misuse or illegal use." But he didn't clearly state, like Corzine, that he would sign the bill.

Corzine will do just that if he's re-elected and the bill reaches his desk.

Re-elect Gov. Jon Corzine on Nov. 3!


Also see:

NJ Medical Marijuana Update
Medical Marijuana on the Move
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