Rutgers Won't Grow Weed for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie

In a conversation that we can only imagine happening (fondly), Rutgers University has said no to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's inspired idea that they would be the lone grower of medical marijuana for the state. Apparently, since pot is technically illegal, that would kinda present a problem for their millions in federal funding, at least according to Robert Goodman, dean of the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. But, in credit to Rutgers, just like our goody-goody friends back in high school, they all really wanted to do it!

"Higher education is infinitely tied to the federal government, operating under the presumption we are not violating federal law,'' said Goodman, also the executive director of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. "We were sincerely interested in the opportunity, but we had external counsel and our folks look into it and yesterday it became totally clear we could not do this.''

Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, however, who missed the after-school special about peer pressure, thinks Rutgers "chickened out." He expects the health department to now implement a law he co-authored allowing six nonprofits to grow and sell to registered patients.

In the meantime, guys, we hear there's a patch of fresh grass down at 1st Street and Second Avenue.

[via NJ.com]