Quick Tips for Everyday Wellness: 'Pot for Tots': NJ Governor Christie falls short ...

Quick Tips for Everyday Wellness: 'Pot for Tots': NJ Governor Christie falls short ...: Growing more strains of edible marijuana and making them accessible to kids has now become law in the State of New Jersey. Thanks in part ...

'Pot for Tots': NJ Governor Christie falls short on Medical Marijuana bill for children

Growing more strains of edible marijuana and making them accessible to kids has now become law in the State of New Jersey. Thanks in part to the efforts of two year old Vivian Wilson’s father, the bill made it possible for medical marijuana suppliers to produce more varieties. Evidence has shown that different strains produce different results when it comes to treating disease and illness. In the past, suppliers could only grow up to three strains of medical marijuana.

The once more restrictive law has now been amended, allowing children greater accessibility to edible ‘Cannabis’ (aka Marijuana). Essentially, the bill opened the doorway for approved medical marijuana suppliers to produce more than three strains. However, the route parents have to take is still ridiculously slow and limited.

Expansion of the program allows parents access but only if they pass through several hoops. Referrals from their program approved pediatrician and psychiatrist must be obtained. If the pediatrician is not registered with the program, then a third doctor’s approval must be obtained. Currently, there are two pediatrician doctors and sixteen psychologists out of the two hundred and fifty doctors registered with the program. Talk about a bottle neck and bureaucratic red tape.

Children who suffer from frequent prolonged seizures and diseases would typically benefit from treatment. While Christie took a bold step forward in lifting the production limits, he stopped short of seeing the bigger picture. Unless there are greater numbers of qualified physicians and psychologists registered in the program, these children and their parents will live in a vicious cycle. Doctors are already feeling the upcoming pinch of Obama-care. Who will take the time to evaluate/review, prescribe and jump through this many hoops? Why can’t the legislation be geared toward requiring all doctors to be qualified to prescribe medical marijuana versus only a handful in one state?

Accessibility is equally valuable to the passing of any legislation. It is sad to think that maybe Christie’s playing politics as he sets his sights on the White House in 2016. While that may be a stretch, it just might be true. Politicians rarely make a move in any direction based on the primary concerns placed in front of them. Why? There is always another election right around the corner. Who wants their legacy to be coined around the phrase, “Pot for tots”? Not any politicians I know.

Quick Tips for Wellness: Medical marijuana may just be what the doctor ordered.

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