Patient Registration Opens for State’s Medicinal Marijuana Program

WHO: Medical marijuana patients and advocates
WHAT: Will discuss the Patient Registration for the Medicinal Marijuana Program  
WHEN: Thursday, August 9, 2012 from 11am - 12:00 noon
WHERE: The State House, Trenton, NJ
WHY:       While this represents progress, patients will still have difficulty accessing the program  

Medical marijuana patients and advocates will discuss the newly opened patient registration process for the Medicinal Marijuana Program at the State House in Trenton, NJ on Thursday, August 9, 2012 from 11am - 12:00 noon.

The “New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act" was signed into law on January 18, 2010.  While not a single patient in this state has yet enjoyed the legal protection that this law was designed to provide, the state Department of Health will begin the process of issuing ID cards to qualifying patients.  Ken Wolski, RN, executive director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc. (CMMNJ) said, “We are glad to see that the patient registration process has finally gotten started.  There are significant hurdles for patients to contend with, however, and it remains to be seen how successful this program will be.”

The New Jersey Department of Health has redesigned the Medicinal Marijuana Program link on its web site. See: http://www.state.nj.us/health/medicalmarijuana/index.shtml  The web site now includes a Patient Registration Process.  In order to begin the registration process, patients must have a Reference Number that was provided to them by a physician who has registered with the Department of Health and with whom the patient has a bona fide doctor-patient relationship.  Only about 150 physicians have registered so far, which represents less than 1% of the 30,000 licensed physicians in the state.

Patients must have computer access and an email address in order to complete the registration, though there is a provision to allow their physician to assist the patients in registering.  Patients (and their caregivers, if applicable) must have a government-issued photo ID, proof of New Jersey residency, a passport style photograph, and proof of government assistance (if applicable).  A caregiver must also complete a Criminal Background Check.  These documents must be converted to digital format and uploaded to the Department of Health.  The patient must designate an Alternative Treatment Center (ATC) that will be used.  After the Department of Health reviews the documents, they will notify the patient by email to submit the required fee ($200 for two years or $20 if low income) and an ID card will be issued to the patient.  The ID card will allow the patient or caregiver to legally purchase up to two ounces of marijuana a month from an ATC.

CMMNJ, a 501(c)(3) public charity, provides education about the benefits medical marijuana.  For more information, contact:

Ken Wolski, RN, MPA, Executive Director
Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc.
219 Woodside Ave., Trenton, NJ  08618
609.394.2137 www.cmmnj.org   ohamkrw@aol.com

For southern Jersey, contact Chris Goldstein at (505) 577-5093.