New Jersey must recognize marijuana’s medicinal value, court says

An appellate court decision Tuesday recognized medical marijuana’s health benefits, and ordered the state to reconsider its schedule 1 classification as a harmful drug.

TRENTON — State and federal law classified marijuana as one of the most dangerous drugs more than 45 years ago, citing its “high potential for abuse” and a lack of medical value.

But a groundbreaking decision by a state appeals court on Tuesday said the Christie administration must revisit marijuana’s legal standing under state law because its health benefits are “abundantly and glaringly apparent now.”

A state Appellate Court ruled that Steve Lee, the former director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, had the authority to re-classify marijuana from the “schedule 1” category of the most harmful of drugs.

Read More at NJ.com