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Medical marijuana advocates support decriminalizing New Jersey

The Coalition for Medical Marijuana-New Jersey Inc. (CMMNJ) supports active legisaltion to decriminalize possession of 15 to 50 grams of marijuana or less by adults. These billswill provide a level of protection for thousands of sick, disabled and dying patients that New Jersey’s medical marijuana law does not provide.

The mission of CMMNJ is to educate the public about the medical benefits of marijuana. Since CMMNJ was founded in 2003, board members have taken a strictly neutral stance on the issue of broader legalization of marijuana. But at this time, the Board of CMMNJ has endorsed decriminalization in NJ for these reasons:

• More than three years have passed since the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act was signed into law, yet only a handful of qualifying patients have received legal medical marijuana.

• Patients continue to be arrested and imprisoned in this state for using medical marijuana illegally to treat their medical conditions.

• Countless patients who could benefit from medical marijuana are currently disqualified from participating in New Jersey’s medicinal marijuana program and will continue to be disqualified for the foreseeable future.

The Assembly bill passd the Judiciary Comittee 7-1 and a full Assembly floor vote 41-30 in June of 2012. Two different versions of a companion bill are pending in the NJ Senate.

Registered Medical Marijuana Patient Arrested in New Jersey

April 18, 2013 Trenton, NJ - If you think medical marijuana patients are no longer getting arrested in New Jersey for possession of marijuana, ask Joseph D’Souza.

Mr. D’Souza now has both a medical marijuana ID card and an arrest record for the first time in his life.

Mr. D’Souza, at 54 years of age, is a survivor of three separate bouts of cancer. His treatment included chemotherapy, radiation therapy and multiple surgeries. His face is permanently disfigured from surgery and he suffers from chronic pain as a result of the cancers. He can no longer work—he’s on disability. He qualifies for medical marijuana therapy in New Jersey and, in fact, he has a Medicinal Marijuana Program ID card from the state’s Department of Health.

Join us for: CMMNJ/Cheryl Miller Medical Marijuana Demonstration June 7, 2013

The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey has acquired three permits to gather in Trenton between the hours of 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM on June 7th (Friday), the 10th anniversary of the death of NJ Medical Marijuana Patient/Activist Cheryl Miller, wife of CMMNJ co-founder Jim Miller.

To begin; four categories of medical marijuana patients will gather in front of the Statehouse (125 W State St., Trenton, NJ 08608) at 11:00 AM to witness the 12:00 press conference being held on the Statehouse steps on their behalf.

New Jersey medical marijuana patients who are already receiving cannabis legally, those who are registered in the program but not yet able to access their medicine, those who have a qualifying condition but are not able to register, and those have a non-qualifying condition because of the narrow list allowable under current state law, will be represented.

Meghan Wilson, whose two year old daughter Vivian is a registered medical marijuana patient (http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/05/christie_said_hes_not_inclined.html) will wrap up the press conference before patients, family members, caregivers, friends, advocates, and supporters begin the 1/2 mile permitted "march" (at approximately 12:45) to the Dept of Health (369 South Warren St., Trenton, NJ 08608-2308), where patients who are not able to march will be there to greet them (at approximately 1:00).

After a brief memorial remembrance of Cheryl Lee Miller on the tenth anniversary of her passing, NJ medical marijuana patients will honor her by following the example that Cheryl set while she paved the way for legal access to their medicine twenty years ago.

Having been ignored by the Dept. of Health every step of the way during the regulatory process, patients will then have the opportunity to refuse to be ignored any longer as they hand deliver their letters of concern and objection to Health Dept. officials who will be waiting to accept them inside. They will also be able to individually have their say outside to the group as a whole, and have time to interact with any media outlets in attendance.

There will be water, cold beverages, snacks, and assorted fruit available at the Dept.of Health, courtesy of MS patient/medical marijuana activist Chuck Kwiatkowski, who will also be able to assist any patients arriving at the Dept.of Health before the "marchers" arrive.

If you are a medical marijuana patient, either qualifying or non-qualifying, and you have something to say to the Dept. of Health but can't show up on June 7th, a designated attendee (or another patient) will represent you in person. Please get in touch with Jim Miller at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/156388517866235

Patients will be heard, and we will continue to expand this program to accurately reflect our needs. Join us.

The “New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act" became law in January 2010. It went into effect on October 1, 2010.

For a copy of the law, see: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2008/Bills/PL09/307_.PDF

The law removes the state-wide penalties for the possession and use of up to two ounces of marijuana a month when a New Jersey licensed physician recommends it for a patient with one of the qualifying medical conditions. Qualifying medical conditions include cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, etc.

The physician must have an on-going responsibility for the patient’s condition. Patients may be issued ID cards in the program run by the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH). Patients may designate a caregiver to assist them with obtaining and using the marijuana.

The caregiver must also register with DOH and must undergo a criminal background check. The marijuana will be obtained from Alternative Treatment Centers were to be set up in the north, central and southern parts of the state. The ATCs will be tightly regulated by the NJ DOH and the Department of Law and Public Safety. New Jersey and Delaware are unique among the 18 medical marijuana states in that they prohibit home cultivation of medical marijuana.

Wasting precious time for medicinal marijuana program

Monday, February 28, 2011

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES OF TRENTON

Gov. Christie said, "Every life is precious." Why, then, is he dismissive of the lives of medical marijuana patients in the state? Jennifer L. confronted Gov. Christie at a town hall meeting in Ewing a few months ago. Jennifer explained how she is rapidly losing weight -- literally wasting away -- without reliable access to medical-grade marijuana. It was clear Jennifer could not survive like this. She said she may be dead by the summer without the use of medical marijuana. Yet the governor told Jennifer that he couldn't be concerned about her as an individual when he had an entire state to worry about. Why is her life not precious? It's one thing to have a tough-guy Jersey attitude. It's another thing entirely to be callous to a dying woman.

Jennifer is not alone. The Hospice and Palliative Care Association estimates that there are 30,000 New Jerseyans in hospice, i.e. with medical conditions that will take their lives in less than six months.