Senate Bill 119 (175 KB) Approved: Jan. 11, 2010 by House, 48-14; by Senate, 25-13 Signed into law by Gov. Jon Corzine on Jan. 18, 2010 Effective: Six months from enactment 
Protects "patients who use marijuana to alleviate suffering from debilitating medical conditions, as well as their physicians, primary caregivers, and those who are authorized to produce marijuana for medical purposes" from "arrest, prosecution, property forfeiture, and criminal and other penalties."
Also provides for the creation of alternative treatment centers, "at least two each in the northern, central, and southern regions of the state. The first two centers issued a permit in each region shall be nonprofit entities, and centers subsequently issued permits may be nonprofit or for-profit entities."
Approved Conditions: Seizure disorder, including epilepsy, intractable skeletal muscular spasticity, glaucoma; severe or chronic pain, severe nausea or vomiting, cachexia, or wasting syndrome resulting from HIV/AIDS or cancer; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease), multiple sclerosis, terminal cancer, muscular dystrophy, or inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease; terminal illness, if the physician has determined a prognosis of less than 12 months of life or any other medical condition or its treatment that is approved by the Department of Health and Senior Services.
Possession/Cultivation: Physicians determine how much marijuana a patient needs and give written instructions to be presented to an alternative treatment center. The maximum amount for a 30-day period is two ounces.
S119 becomes effective six months after the law was enacted on Jan. 18, 2010. The program will be run by the Department of Health and Senior Services.
Information provided by the state on sources for medical marijuana:
The state will accept applications for alternative treatment centers, and approve a minimum of six.
Fee:
*****The registration fee for patients and caregivers is $200, which is valid for two years. A reduced fee of $20 would be paid by patients who qualify for certain state or federal assistance programs.
Accepts other states' registry ID cards?
Unknown
Registration:
To find out more about New Jersey's Medical Marijuana Program you can visit the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services Medical Marijuana page.
Program established on July 19, 2011
[Editor's Note: S119 was supposed to become effective six months after it was enacted, but New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has asked for more time to implement the law. On June 18, 2010, Christie proposed developing a centralized production and distribution system. If legislators agree to the proposal, the program will be postponed until January 2011.]