Monthly Public Meeting Minutes
January 8, 2013
7:00 PM: Meeting called to order. December 2012 minutes approved. Discussion:
Reminder: There will be no public CMMNJ meeting in February; library room unavailable.
NJ’s Medicinal Marijuana Program (MMP): Greenleaf ATC in Montclair, NJ is selling up to ½ ounce of marijuana to registered patients by appointment only--at least two months wait for an appointment. Two strains are available; a sativa and an indica (Green Crack & Blue Dream). THC content reportedly exceeds 10%. NJ’s 7% sales tax applies—cost is approx. $130/quarter ounce. Fewer than 500 patients have ID cards from DOH. Rumors are that improvements to the MMP will be coming soon, including the promised lozenges. MMP is failing hospice patients and many others. Some oncologists in the state admit knowing marijuana helps cancer patients but refuse to join DOH registry (along with 99.5% of all NJ MDs.)
The lawsuit against DOH for failure to meaningfully implement the MMP is progressing and it asks the court to appoint CMMNJ monitor of the program. (A court hearing was held 1/24/13.)
The cmmnj.org web site crashed. Ryan Bly fixed it; discussion re: need for continuous update.
Upcoming events:
CMMNJ Board conference call is scheduled for Tues., 2/12/13 at 7 pm.
CMMNJ’s 10th anniversary party/pot luck dinner at Peter Rosenfeld’s house on March 9, 2013.
Americans for Safe Access National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference; Feb. 22 – 25, 2013; Washington, D.C. http://safeaccessnow.org/blog/conference2013/
The World Medical Cannabis Expo April 5 – 7 2013, Piscataway, NJ
http://worldmedicalcannabis.com/ CMMNJ fundraiser in conjunction with our table at this?
Treasury report: Current finances: Checking account: $3405; PayPal account: $3353.
Next public CMMNJ meeting is March 12, 2013 from 7 - 9 PM at the Lawrence Twp. Library, 2751 Brunswick Pike, Lawrence Twp.
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
CMMNJ, a 501(c)(3) public charity, is a non-profit educational organization.
NJ.COM LTE: Medical marijuana a safer option
In her letter “Medical marijuana: The end doesn’t justify the means” (Jan. 24), Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini (R-Ocean) paints a fear-mongering picture of medical marijuana as a gateway drug.
Ms. Angelini claims to be “sensitive to the pain that individuals endure from disease,” but her letter proves otherwise. Calling marijuana a “highly dangerous drug” in the context of medical use is ridiculous. A quick glance at the side effects of the arsenal of drugs legally prescribed for my cancer yields the following warnings: “euphoria, feeling of being ‘high,’ tolerance, risk for dependency,” not to mention “weak or shallow breathing, confusion, double vision, nausea, dizziness, seizure, liver toxicity, cardiac arrhythmia, heart attack, coma, death.” I invite Ms. Angelini to look me in the eye and tell me medical marijuana use — or “abuse” — is anywhere near as dangerous as that.
As a cancer patient, I have taken a multitude of prescription drugs. When combined with the toxicity of chemotherapy drugs, the effects on my body were devastating. I have been hospitalized for side effects of these medications, and have had to wean myself off of them slowly, under a doctor’s supervision, to avoid life-threatening withdrawal symptoms. I am thankful every day that I did not develop a full-blown addiction to these pharmaceuticals, but many patients are not so fortunate.
Surely, through her work as a substance abuse program director, Ms. Angelini must realize that prescription drug dependency is a true problem for people who have had serious illnesses or injuries, and that prescription opioid abuse is a real gateway to hard drug addiction.
Medical marijuana does not pose any proven health risks, and it offers not only pain relief, but may even provide actual treatment for certain diseases.
-- Vanessa Waltz,
Princeton
The writer serves on the board of directors of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana-New Jersey (cmmnj.org).
Recent Media Coverage and Blogs:
Relief from pain
New Jersey Medical Marijuana NEWs and UPdates
Lawsuit Over NJ Medical Marijuana Program Heads To Appeals Court
Lawsuit seeks faster track for New Jersey medical marijuana program
NJ Medical Marijuana Program Case Moves to Appeals Panel
N.J. judge allows lawsuit against state on slow medical pot rollout to continue
Choose family or health
Medical Marijuana Butter Recipe
Stuck in a legal gray area, Egg Harbor Township marijuana dispensary still unable to open
Bridgewater man gets probation for growing marijuana plants in Bernards park
Montclair marijuana dispensary in demand
Extra:
The Case for Treating PTSD in Veterans With Medical Marijuana
Two years’ probation for marijuana activist ‘NJ Weedman’
'NJ Weedman' sentenced to probation, fines, in medical-marijuana test case
Feds should admit marijuana is not as dangerous as heroin: Editorial
Marijuana politics in NJ, PA & the U.S.
Show makes TV history with medical marijuana discussion
The DEA's marijuana mistake
Republican Assemblyman Wants To Decriminalize Small Amounts of Marijuana
Ending Marijuana Prohibition in 2013
Upcoming Events:
Bridging the Gap Between Public & Policy – Americans for Safe Access National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference, taking place February 22nd – 25th at the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C.
The World Medical Cannabis Expo, April 5- 7, 2013, Piscataway, NJ
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