With State Senate President Stephen Sweeney setting Oct. 29 for the state Senate to vote on legalizing recreational marijuana, it seems New Jersey is closer to becoming the next state where cannabis is legal.
Meanwhile, the Garden State has the chance to change the landscape of medical marijuana -- taking lessons from the success and failures of states out west -- and is on the verge of creating one of the most comprehensive, deliberate, and successful programs in the nation.
This effort should proceed without delay.
The importance and benefits are replete. Indeed, as the opioid crisis continues to devastate families across the country subjecting entire communities to constant and horrific loss -- by some estimates more than 200 people die from an overdose every day -- the substitution of cannabis as pain relief medication alone will save thousands of lives in the New Jersey.