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Rutgers takes a pass on pot-farm proposal

Capitol Hemp in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, is seen on March 17, 2010. Alan Amsterdam, 42-year old native Washingtonian and owner of Capitol Hemp, plans to apply for one of 5 medical marijuana dispensary licenses that will be made available by the District of Columbia government if a bill, proposed in the DC City Council in January 2010, passes in coming months. UPI/Alexis C. Glenn
Capitol Hemp in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, is seen on March 17, 2010. Alan Amsterdam, 42-year old native Washingtonian and owner of Capitol Hemp, plans to apply for one of 5 medical marijuana dispensary licenses that will be made available by the District of Columbia government if a bill, proposed in the DC City Council in January 2010, passes in coming months. UPI/Alexis C. Glenn | License Photo

TRENTON, N.J., July 23 (UPI) -- Officials at Rutgers University have said no thanks to establishing a medical-marijuana farm because it would jeopardize federal funding.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had proposed Rutgers be established as the sole supplier of medical pot in the Garden State with certain hospitals serving as the only place that the ailing could obtain their legal stashes.

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But Rutgers decided it would be too risky an endeavor because the federal government considers all marijuana illegal and could pull the plug on the school's funding.

"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," said Robert Goodman, dean of the biology school Rutgers.

The (Newark) Star-Ledger said Friday Rutgers could have applied to the Drug Enforcement Administration for permission to conduct marijuana research; however, the DEA already has a sanctioned grow at the University of Mississippi. A request from the University of Massachusetts to cultivate marijuana was rejected by the Bush administration.

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