NJ's Christie Splits the Difference on Medical Marijuana

Conditional veto with some loosened rules

Gov. Chris Christie has agreed to give chronically ill children easier access to medical marijuana.

However, the governor conditionally vetoed a bill on the issue because it goes further than he was willing to go.

"As I have repeatedly noted, I believe that parents, and not government regulators, are best suited to decide how to care for their children," Christie said in a statement. "Protection of our children remains my utmost concern, and my heart goes out to those children and their families who are suffering with serious illnesses. Today, I am making commonsense recommendations to this legislation to ensure sick children receive the treatment their parents prefer, while maintaining appropriate safeguards. I am calling on the Legislature to reconvene quickly and address these issues so that children in need can get the treatment they need."