Top among their concerns are a reduction in the number of distribution centers statewide from six to four and limits on the strength and number of strains of marijuana that can be sold.
The rules make it appear as if "the administration does not want this to be successful," said Sen. Nick Scutari (D., Union), a sponsor of the resolution approved by the committees Monday. Scutari worked on the original bill for five years.
Gov. Christie has said he would not have signed the medical-marijuana bill if he had been governor when it passed. He believes the implementation rules create a program that provides the drug to those who need it and prevents it from being distributed to those who don't, spokesman Kevin Roberts said Monday.
Several patients who testified in support of the bill in January told the Senate health committee Monday that they were frustrated the medicine still was not available and concerned that their access would be limited.
Diane Rivera-Riportella, 54, told the Senate health committee that the optimism she felt in January had faded. The Egg Harbor Township resident has Lou Gehrig's disease and seeks pain relief through morphine, which takes 45 minutes to work and limits her ability to communicate.
Marijuana provides similar relief but is immediate, Rivera-Riportella said.
Plus, "I can express myself," she said, during tearful testimony. "I can be the person that I was."
At the urging of Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D., Bergen), Rivera-Riportella visited Christie's office to try to share her story with him directly, but the governor was unavailable.
State Health Department officials have spoken with patient advocates on the matter, Roberts said.
