The measure reflects changes made last month by Gov. Chris Christie in a conditional veto of bigger changes approved by the Legislature in June.
The New Jersey Assembly today approved a major change to New Jersey's fledgling medical marijuana program, passing a revised bill that would allow dispensaries to grow and sell more than three varieties of pot to patients and provide the drug in an edible form to children.
The measure reflects changes made last month by Gov. Chris Christie in a conditional veto of bigger changes approved by the Legislature in June.
The revised bill has now been passed by both chambers of the Legislature and heads back to Christie's desk for final approval.
The measure was inspired by families who said their children with severe epilepsy would benefit from using certain types of marijuana. They said the cap of three strains that can be grown by each dispensary made it unlikely that those types of marijuana would be produced legally in the state.
Advocates say being allowed to grow more strains makes it more likely that other patients -- besides children -- will also be able to get the variety of pot most likely to help their conditions. Some forms can ease pain or nausea while others can reduce convulsions or stoke appetites.
The bill allows edible forms of marijuana to be sold, but only for the use of children.
The biggest change Christie made through his conditional veto was striking a provision that would have eliminated a requirement that at least two doctors sign off before children can have access to medical cannabis.
Jennie Stormes, of Hope Township, and her 14-year-old son, Jackson Stormes, who also has Dravet syndrome, came today to the Statehouse in Trenton to witness the final vote, The Star-Ledger reported.
She questioned both Christie's decision to limit cannabis edibles to children and his rejection of simplifying the prescription process, according to the report.
But she said she knows what the law will mean for other families because her son uses the marijuana strain that prevents seizures when he is living part of the time with his father in California, the newspaper reported.
"He has less seizure frequency they are less intense. Overall he is just better," Stormes said, wiping away tears after the vote, according to The Star-Ledger. "Educationally, he is doing better, he is using more speech ... and he has become less behaviorally challenging."