Rutgers May Grow Medical Marijuana for New Jersey

As New Jersey officials work on developing a plan to grow and distribute medical marijuana in the state a potential new player has come to the forefront -- Rutgers University. The school could be used as a major producer of the plant.

KYW 's David Madden reports the Christie Administration, which got a three month extension on putting the plan together, wants to have a secure system in place for cultivating the crop and handing it out only to those who need it.

Robert Goodman is Executive Dean for Agriculture and Natural Resources at Rutgers:

"We're the state university of New Jersey. The state government has come to us asking about how we might be able to support implementation and we're talking to them about how we might be able to do that."

Mind you, they've never been in the business of growing anything before just helping others do it. And any commitment would come not from him but from the school's Board of Governors.

It's thought having Rutgers involved would jump start the program, which is scheduled to begin at year's end.