[JURIST] New Jersey Governor Chris Christie [official website] on Friday sent back [press release] legislation [Bill S2842] that would have made medical marijuana more accessible to patients and increased the ease with which minors could qualify for the program. Christie agreed to sign the bill [Reuters report] if further revisions are made, including the stipulation that edible forms of marijuana are only provided for minors and the deletion of the provision that allows children to qualify for the program with only a doctor’s approval. Some of the bill’s supporters, including Senator Joseph Vitale, favor the bill’s present form due to how it would facilitate the process of applying for medical marijuana.

New Jersey became the fourteenth US state to legalize medical marijuana when former governor Jon Corzine signed [JURIST report] a bill into law in 2010. Twenty-one US states now have some type of medical marijuana laws, with the addition of Illinois [JURIST report] earlier this month.