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The New Jersey state Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Services Committee held a public hearing on January 20, 2011 on resolution SCR 130. This is part of a constitutional process to rescind and re-write overly restrictive rules for the medical marijuana program.

A recent review on the applications of cannabinoids for the treatment of Glaucoma suggests that some of these compounds may be “ideal drugs” to manage this disease. The authors call for additional studies that could examine the safety and effectiveness in order to integrate these cannabinoid compounds into daily, clinical use.

Abstract:  Cannabinoid applications in glaucoma.

[Article in English, Spanish]

Medical cannabis growing at Oaksterdam via Chris Goldstein

11/2/2012 – John O’Brien, the director New Jersey’s Medicinal Marijuana Program (MMP), reported today that the state’s only cannabis provider was unaffected by Hurricane Sandy.  Greenleaf Compassion Center is the single, fully permitted Alternative Treatment Center. They operate a dispensary in Montclair, NJ and a growing facility at an undisclosed Northern New Jersey location.

O’Brien said via email this morning: “The Greenleaf cultivation facility didn’t miss a beat, no loss of power.  Their harvested product is good and the new cultivation is doing well.  Mr. Stevens [Greenleaf CEO] and company have assembled a secure and sustainable facility.  He deserves a lot of credit for his planning and forethought.”

Concern has turned to relief among registered and potentially qualifying NJ patients who wondered if the historic storm could have an impact on the nascent program.

Patients have started to receive their identification cards from the NJ Department of Health (DOH). Still, prior to the storm Greenleaf ATC had not started serving patients just yet.

O’Brien did not give a time-frame but said, “We continue to work with Joe towards an opening date.”

Advocates at The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey (CMMNJ) point out that severe weather is just one of the reasons why more medical cannabis ATCs must be opened in different regions of the state. NJ is the first state to pass a compassionate use law that does not include provisions for home cultivation by patients or caregivers. Governor Chris Christie and NJDOH regulators have also refused to allow the ATCs to deliver cannabis to homes; a common practice with pharmaceutical medication.

At the moment, any registered NJ medical marijuana patient or their registered caregiver must travel to Greenleaf ATC to purchase cannabis that is legal under the law. Montclair is in northern New Jersey, just outside New York City. Although the area is easily accessible via roads and public transit, MMP participants in southern NJ (such as Cape May County) face a 10-hour round-trip journey, under the best conditions.

NJ MMP website: http://www.state.nj.us/health/medicalmarijuana/index.shtml

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. Questions?  [email protected]

The Providence Journal reported today that Cuttino Mobley, a Philadelphia native who has played for the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks, is hoping to open a medical marijuana dispensary in Rhode Island.

“You get it after a while,” Mobley said. “You know what you’re supposed to do.”

One of the things he wants to do now is start a wellness center in Warwick, one that will be allowed to dispense medical marijuana. He says he got interested in the field of wellness both through his own medical condition and those of other people close to him, and adds that the health field is one of the fastest growing in the country. Read full article at projo.com

Rhode Island is looking to license medical marijuana supply facilities.

Right now qualified patients or their caregivers must cultivate the cannabis on their own. Rhode Island does allow of collective gardens to be formed to help assure safe access.

Entrepreneurs, green with envy over the West Coast, are casting an emerald gaze at the domestic cannabis industry opening up back East.

Last year fifteen groups endured an intense application process in Rhode Island only to have them all be denied by the state.

This week, after a second round of applications, RI  again delayed the announcement if anyone will get a dispensary permit this year.

Cuttino Mobley was forced to leave his promising career in the NBA after doctors discovered that he has an enlarged heart.

The interview in The Providence Journal hints that Mobley is taking the right attitude into a business that needs to serve sick and dying residents.

It is refreshing to see a sports celebrity’s business venture be something more altruistic than a clothing line or body spray!

More information: http://ripatients.org

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade.  He volunteers with local groups to change prohibition laws including PhillyNORML and The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey. He enjoys old school hip-hop, vintage airplanes and changing the world. Contact chris { at } freedomisgreen.com

Montel Williams at the 2011 NORML Conference in Denver – pic by kimsidwell.com

8/5/2011 – There was tough competition in New Jersey to run the first six Alternative Treatment Centers for medical marijuana. Freedomisgreen has now obtained all of the applications through Open Public Records Act requests. The process was the most expensive in the nation. High-rollers were willing to bet $20,000 on each submission.

The winners were announced in March 2011 and their applications were released soon after. But there was little information on the groups who did not make the cut, until now.

Television host Montel Williams applied for a center in North Jersey based out of Somerset.  Williams has since invested on the West Coast and owns a dispensary in Sacramento, CA.

The New Jersey Council of Teaching Hospitals offered a plan that would incorporate fingerprint ID lockboxes and engage some of the state’s top-dollar medical institutions.  They would have used their existing network of doctors and an impressive list of grant funding contacts.

The big names weren’t the only ones looking to spend some significant coin to get into the non-profit marijuana business.

The Farmacy Inc. was a group of South Jersey pharmacists who work mainly at local CVS branches. But their big contact was Ryan Barna, who appears instrumental to their application. Barna is an active board member at the American Pharmacist Association and the NJ Pharmacists Association, two of the more powerful drug distribution lobbying groups…well, ever.

The Institute for Health Research was a group of vitamin enthusiasts and holistic medicine practitioners. They planned to operate from the Abunda Life Center in Asbury Park, a rather well-known entity in the local area.

Some of the NJ applicants looked outside the state for experience. A group of investment bankers, gaming professionals and finance specialists teamed up with a cannabis entrepreneur in Colorado. The NJ Relief Initiative Inc had Oleg Rutman on the board and boasts that he started the largest patient collective in CO. Garden State Medical Marijuana Associates retained expert consultants including Steve D’Angelo the owner of Harborside Health Services and the new reality star of Discovery Network’s “Weed Wars.”

Here are the organization names, name of the executive director and the proposed location(s). Some of these groups won an ATC contract with separate submissions.

Abatin Wellness Center- Montel Williams – Northern NJ, Somerset

Grow Well – Bonnie Johnson – Southern NJ, Egg Harbor

Institute of Health Research – Ralph Fucetola – Central NJ, Asbury Park

New Jersey Healthy Choice – Daniel Kane – Northern NJ, Bayonne

New Jersey Relief Initiative  – Joseph Coffey  – Northern NJ, Moonachie

Alternative Medical Concepts – Christopher Camal – Central NJ, Kenilworth – Northern NJ, Edison, Carlstadt and Clifton – Southern NJ Westville and Pennsauken

Compassion Collective of Camden County – J. Peter Rosenfeld – Southern NJ, Pennsauken

Compassionate Care Foundation  – William Thomas – Southern NJ and Central NJ

Farmacy Inc – Mark Makhinson – Southern NJ, Lumberton

Garden State Alternative Solutions – Hugo Bartell – Northern NJ, Newark

Gold Leaf – Jabrai Golden – Northern NJ, East Brunswick

New Jersey Council of Teaching Hospitals – J. Richard Goldstein MD – Central, NJ and Southern NJ

New Jersey Medicines – Ray Smith – Central NJ, Shrewsbury

Compassionate Care Centers of America – David Weisser – Northern NJ, Secaucus

Compassionate Marijuana Alliance – Ibere Peter Calvo – Northern NJ,  Newark

Patient Wellness Center – Alfred Lombardi – Northern NJ, Paterson

Garden State Medical Marijuana Associates –  Ron Simoncini – Northern NJ, Secaucus

Compassionate Sciences Inc – Richard Taney – Central NJ and Northern NJ

Most of the prospective Garden State cannabis dispensaries had multi-million dollar funding supplied by their Boards of Trustees. But even the groups that had start-up expenses below $350,000 were projecting over $1 million in cannabis sales by the end of their second year.

Freedomisgreen will make the full applications available via Scribd.com over the weekend. The documents were redacted by the NJ Department of Health and Human Services before release.

The six applications that were accepted are online already: http://www.scribd.com/NJcannabisDocs

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. Questions?  [email protected]

On March 29th The Dr. Oz Show aired a full-length program discussing medical marijuana that included Montel Williams. But one of the segments that ended up on the cutting room floor featured Sandy Faiola of Asbury Park, New Jersey. Like Montel, Sandy lives with Multiple Sclerosis and uses cannabis to treat her condition. Because the compassionate use law is not yet working in the Garden State she must continue to risk arrest to access her medication. She has testified on many occasions before the state Legislature in Trenton and has appeared in demonstrations for other MS patients. Yesterday Dr. Oz posted the two-part video with Sandy online.

Links are below:

5/26/2011 – State Senator Nicholas Scutari (D-Linden) introduced SCR 120 today, a resolution that “Urges the Governor to support and advocate for passage of federal ‘Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act.’” The move in Trenton comes just one day after the federal legislation was re-introduced in Congress.

The bi-partisan co-sponsors of the federal bill issued a press release on May 25th describing the intent:

The States’ Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act, authored by Frank and co-sponsored by Stark, Polis and Rohrabacher, would make individuals and entities immune to federal prosecution when acting in compliance with state medical marijuana laws. It would also direct the administration to initiate the process of rescheduling marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act so that it is placed in a schedule other than Schedules I or II.

“The time has come for the federal government to stop preempting states’ medical marijuana laws,” Frank said. “For the federal government to come in and supersede state law is a real mistake for those in pain for whom nothing else seems to work. This bill would block the federal prosecution of those patients who reside in those states that allow medical marijuana”

If passed, the federal legislation would directly benefit New Jersey’s residents who are still waiting for the stalled medical marijuana program to get running. The state is currently waiting for clarification from the US Department of Justice.

SCR 120 has been referred to the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee.

Individual citizens can support the federal bill by sending emails here.

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. Questions?  [email protected]

Remember that School House Rock segment on how a bill becomes a law? Just put that on repeat. A House committee in New Hampshire approved legislation this week to legalize medical marijuana. This is an important step as bills often need to be heard by several committees before they can pass all-important floor votes.

But New Hampshire had a similar bill run this gauntlet just two years ago. Medical marijuana legislation passed in 2009 only to be vetoed by Governor John Lynch.

The resulting attempt by the General Court to overturn the veto missed by just two votes in the state Senate.

Advocates on the ground were buoyed by the 14-3 vote on the House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee who recommended that House Bill 442 be passed on the floor.

Polling shows that public support for medical marijuana in New Hampshire runs above 70%.

New England voters are demonstrating a visible groundswell of support for changing local cannabis laws.  Connecticut: Public backs marijuana reforms

Grassroots information: http://nhcommonsense.org/

8/16/2011 – Criminal defense attorney William Buckman of Moorestown, NJ has filed an appeal to the state’s highest court for John Ray Wilson. The 38 year old man was convicted on the second-degree felony of “manufacturing” marijuana for growing seventeen cannabis plants.  Last month an appellate court upheld Wilson’s 5-year prison sentence, saying that he could not claim that the plants were for “personal” use.

John Wilson lives without healthcare and battles the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. His conviction in January 2010 came just as the Garden State’s compassionate use law was passed. However, it was the first medical marijuana law in the country that continues to prohibit home cultivation.

In a press release today Buckman said, “New Jersey already has some of the most draconian laws in the nation with respect to marijuana, costing taxpayers outrageous sums to incarcerate nonviolent, otherwise responsible individuals- as well as in this case — the sick and infirm.”

Local cannabis advocates have supported John, demonstrating in front of the Somerset County Courthouse throughout his trial.

Ken Wolski, the Executive Director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey said, “This case has shocked the conscience of the community. Wilson was unable to present his only defense to the jury-that he used cannabis to treat his multiple sclerosis (MS).”

NJ Governor Chris Christie lifted his suspension of the medical marijuana program in July. But the six Alternative Treatment Centers are not likely to open until 2012. The ATCs have millions of dollars in backing from powerful groups of investors.  They will farm thousands of cannabis plants and the sell the products to registered patients, including those with MS.

Wolski pointed out, “These ATCs were not available to John in 2008. Cultivation was the only way that he could afford to gain access. We hope that the Supreme Court will provide justice in this case.”

During his trial, Wilson testified that he told the NJ State Police that he was going to keep all of the marijuana. Wilson also described his medical condition to officers as they searched his home.

Bill Buckman is a member of the national NORML Legal Committee and the immediate past president of the NJ Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He is a fierce trial lawyer who won a landmark case against the NJ State Police surrounding the the issue of racial profiling in traffic stops.

“As it stands, the case now allows a person who grows marijuana to be exposed to up to 20 years in jail, even if that marijuana is strictly for his or her own medical use,” said Buckman, “No fair reading of the law would ever sanction this result.”

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. Questions?  [email protected]

On April 14th New Hampshire’s medical marijuana bill, HB 442, will have a hearing in the Senate at 1:00 pm. The legislation has already been approved by the House Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs Committee and passed a vote by the full House (221-96) on March 16th.

Kirk McNeil, the volunteer Executive Director of New Hampshire Compassion (which is a special project under New Hampshire Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy) and had this to say about the upcoming hearing:

“I’m very excited about the senate hearing coming up in just a few days. We have a lot of senate support. One of the concerns that a lot of legislators have previously expressed was that it might have been a backdoor legalization bill, but it’s not. It is very much a medical marijuana bill. The bill focuses on the sickest patients and provides some controls to enable them to not worry.”

To donate to New Hampshire Compassion and the on-going work of its hardworking volunteers, please visit them here.