Monthly Public Meeting Agenda
Lawrence Twp. Library (Mercer County) Room #3
Tuesday, April 13, 2010; 7:00 PM -- 9:00 PM
7:00 PM: Call meeting to order. Approve March 2010 minutes. Discuss:
The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act was signed into law on January 18, 2010. No reply from DHSS to CMMNJ's request to be involved in the development and review of the regulations to enact this law. The law is scheduled to take effect in July 2010. Emergency regulations are expected in April 2010--CMMNJ's response to delay? DHSS posted some info re: ATC's and ID cards at: http://www.state.nj.us/health/med_marijuana.shtml Patient advisory groups are forming to petition DHSS to add qualifying conditions to the law.
John Wilson was sentenced to 5 years in prison on 3/19/10; currently in Somerset Co. Jail.
Upcoming events:
Meeting with Sen. Menendez staff 4/7/10 re: DEA raids.
Sixth National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics, 4/15--17/10 in Warwick, RI.
PhillyNORML fundraiser at Blockley Poorhouse on 4/20 at 7:30 PM ($7 donation). Jersey City Medical Marijuana Seminar on 4/23/10 at 7 PM at Grace Church Van Vorst, 39 Erie St.
MS Patients Support Groups at:
Morris Hall, Lawrence Twp., NJ on 4/25/10 at 2PM, and at:
CentraState Medical Center, Freehold, NJ on 5/17/10 at 1PM.
Marijuana Marches in New Brunswick, NJ and Philadelphia, PA on May 1, 2010.
Save the dates: CMMNJ at NJ League of Municipalities Convention, November 15-18, 2010.
Treasury report: Checking: $2,212.56; PayPal: $2139.67. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to CMMNJ, a 501(c)(3) public charity, to fund education about medical marijuana. Donations may be made through Paypal on our web site, or send checks made out to "CMMNJ" to the address below. Get a free t-shirt for a donation above $15—specify size.
CMMNJ's scheduled meetings are the second Tuesday of each month at the Lawrence Twp. Library from 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM. All are welcome. Snacks are served. The library is at 2751 Brunswick Pike, Lawrence Twp., Tel. #609.882.9246. (Meeting at the library does not imply their endorsement of our issue.) For more info, contact:
Ken Wolski, RN, MPA
Executive Director, Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc. www.cmmnj.org
219 Woodside Ave., Trenton, NJ 08618 (609) 394-2137 ohamkrw@aol.com
Monthly Public Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, March 9, 2010; 7:00 PM -- 9:00 PM
Lawrence Twp. Library, Mercer County, NJ
7:15 PM: Call meeting to order. February 2010 minutes approval deferred. (Approved 3/13/10) Discussion:
The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act was signed into law on 1/18/10. The law is scheduled to take effect in July 2010. Emergency regulations are expected to be put out by the NJ Department of Health (DHSS) in April 2010. CMMNJ formally asked the DHSS to be involved in the development and review of the regulations to enact this law. No reply from DHSS. Medical marijuana patients should begin discussion with your personal physicians now. DHSS posted preliminary info at: http://www.state.nj.us/health/med_marijuana.shtml. CMMNJ patient advisory committee groups should be forming to petition DHSS to add qualifying conditions. Letter sent by CMMNJ to protest DEA raid of caregiver in Colorado (see below).
Upcoming events: John Wilson's sentencing by Judge Reed now scheduled for 3/19/10 at 9:00 AM at the Somerset County Court House in Somerville. NJ Medical Marijuana Information Seminar: Collingswood Library, 3/20/10, 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM; MS Group at Brick Hospital, 3/29/10, 11 AM -- 12 noon. Day of Prayer for Wisconsin's Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act, 3/23/10. Communiversity 4/24/10. 4/20 events: Princeton University?? Also, there will be a PhillyNORML fundraiser at Blockley Poorhouse on 4/20. May 1, 2010 Marijuana Marches in New Brunswick, NJ and Philadelphia, PA.
Treasury report: Checking: $3,273.38; PayPal: $1072.88. T-shirts ordered from All American Graphics (#80 shirts for $700). Also, CMMNJ magnets were ordered (#500 for $170).
Welcome to new CMMNJ Board member Svetislav Milic, R.Ph, and advisory Board members Diane Fornbacher and Alan Marain. CMMNJ's next scheduled meeting is April 13, 2010 at the Lawrence Twp. Library from 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM. (Meeting at the library does not imply their endorsement of our issue.) For more info, contact:
Ken Wolski, RN, MPA,
Executive Director, Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc. www.cmmnj.org
219 Woodside Ave., Trenton, NJ 08618 (609) 394-2137 ohamkrw@aol.com
March 2, 2010
Hon. Robert Menendez
Re: Medical marijuana patient protection
Dear Senator Menendez:
As you are aware, in January 2010 New Jersey enacted Legislation authorizing qualified patients upon their doctor's advice to use marijuana medicinally. The law requires patients to register and comply with a program administered by the State. In support of such programs, last year United States Attorney General Eric Holder issued a guidance memorandum* to US Attorneys in states that authorized medical marijuana.
This Memorandum instructed them to essentially focus resources on areas other than medical marijuana programs. Considering the tremendous threats to public safety and the country's welfare posed by terrorism, murder, kidnapping, bank robbery, fraud, drug cartels, public corruption, money laundering, counterfeiting, etc., AG Holder essentially challenged federal prosecutors to focus on concerns other than patients using medical marijuana in accordance with state law. At the time he issued this Memorandum he was doubtlessly aware of the holding in City of Garden Grove v. Superior Court. In this case, California's Fourth District Court of Appeal held that the medical use of marijuana by patients pursuant to State law was legal use, not pre-empted by federal concerns. The court also noted the right of the state to determine medical standards. In response to a petition of certification by the prosecution, the US Supreme Court declined to review that decision.
In light of the above, we were outraged to learn that on February 12, 2010 in Colorado, another medical marijuana state, the Drug Enforcement Administration raided the home of medical marijuana caregiver Chris Bartkowicz, confiscated his property and arrested him.** Compounding this inordinate waste of public resources is the fact that Jeffrey Sweetin, the DEA special agent in charge of the Denver office, and the lead agent in the raid, was quoted in the Denver Post as saying that marijuana "is not medicine." In addition to being patently incompetent to make such a statement, he
is completely wrong, as hundreds of studies and the attestations of tens of thousands of patients has proven. As noted above, even the US Supreme Court recognizes that if a state says that marijuana is medicine, then marijuana is medicine in that state. One would expect that the DEA agent responsible
would, as a minimum, be disciplined for this wretchedly irresponsible conduct.
My purpose in writing to you is to request that your office contact Attorney General Holder and request assurance that the federal government will not waste federal resources harassing New Jersey patients participating in this State's medical marijuana program. Please remind him that patients are not criminals. If the US Attorney has sufficient resources to not only adequately combat all the actual crimes noted above but also to persecute patients, it is evident that the US Attorney's budget is overly generous and should be reduced.
Thank you for acting to protect your constituents who are medical marijuana patients. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Very truly yours,
Kenneth Wolski, RN MPA
Executive Director
Coalition for Medical Marijuana—New Jersey, Inc. www.cmmnj.org
219 Woodside Ave.
Trenton, NJ 08618
609.394-2137
ohamkrw@aol.com
*See: http://blogs.usdoj.gov/blog/archives/192
**Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14393797#ixzz0h1qVvJ9C
I been waiting for this law to get passed now it passed it feels like it's going to take forever for the medical marijuana to be ready... I haven't smoked marijuana for a year because of job issues and I have ms.... For a year I been feeling like crap but when I smoked I felt so much better.... New jersey needs to stop all this bs and get this programe up and running... And it shouldn't take to this fall to get weed that's bs..... Let's go I wanna send in my app n get my Id card already dhss needs to move there asses already.......
ReplyDeleteMy life was more productive and focused long ago. I miss that so much. I hate my anxiety!
ReplyDeleteAs a young woman I used pot as a recreation. I never acted out or behaved in any obnoxious way. I actually think it gave me a peacefull calm. I remember cleaning the house with my radio on very happily. I enjoyed my day after a few tokes.
As a grown up who no longer uses it, I am suffering from anxiety and insomnia. My Doctor has me on Xanax. I have worked up a resistance and have to stop using it sometimes so it will start working again. There is a fear I have of becoming addicted to this prescribed drug.
I never had an addiction to pot. I stopped if I had none without a concern. I wish I could use it instead of Xanax. My anxiety is awful and to be honest the Xanax doesn't always do it for me. I am on a .5 dosage which is not the lowest.
I know from experience that pot is a better relief for my anxiety with less addictive consequences. I hope one day I can get this prescribed.
After seeing my husband through 3 heart attacks and having a special needs child, I know my anxiety is warranted. I have been through a whole lot at the ripe old age of 32. I also lack the focus I had when I smoked pot. Pot is medicine.
I have changed my diet, eating organic always, adding in treadmill exercise.. I am really trying. I hate relying on Xanax. I had to pay someones rent about 8 years ago who had to go to rehab for a Xanax addiction. That scares me. I am careful, but would benefit greatly from a medical marijuana prescription.