Tuesday, April 7, 2020

April 14 CMMNJ Agenda for Zoom meeting


The Lawrence Library is CLOSED. The CMMNJ public meeting will be a Zoom Conference: 
Tuesday, April 14, 2020 7:00 PM -- 9:00 PM;
Click to Join the virtual meeting:
My Meeting ID: 492-157-690 Meeting Password: 172200

April 14, 2020 CMMNJ Monthly Public Meeting Agenda:
Approve the March 2020 minutes, below.

NJ MMP Update: ATCs are “essential services.” The DOH allows ATCs to offer curbside pickup to patients. Caregiver fees are reduced to $20. Patients see long lines at ATCs, reduced availability of specific strains, and temporary ATC closings. Nine ATCs across the state serve over 70,000 patients, with six grow sites. Courts continue to halt the progress of 196 applications for 24 additional NJ medical marijuana licenses. NJ Supreme Court rules employers cannot fire workers who use medical marijuana while off the job in the Wild case, 3/10/20.

NJ patients are advocating for home delivery and home cultivation.
Home cultivation for patients--sign the petition: Let Patients Grow NJ.
Also, visit the website: Let Patients Grow NJ #JeffsLaw
NJ, Allow Home Delivery for medical marijuana patients! Send the letter from NORML

Marijuana legalization in NJ will be a ballot question on Nov. 3, 2020. 
CMMNJ’s GOTV (Get-Out-the-Vote) Campaign: text CANNA to 40649 or, click: https://p2a.co/vtdM3z9 to talk to your elected reps about cannabis reform.
Thanks to our partner, HeadCount’s Cannabis Voter Project 
To register to vote in New Jersey, you must be: A U.S. citizen; at least 18 years old; a county resident for 30 days before the election; and, not currently incarcerated.
Register to vote and VOTE in the General Elections in November. #VoteCannabis2020!
For wording of ballot question, see below or: SCR183/ACR840

Upcoming Events: 420 Trenton State House events were cancelled—social distancing in effect.
Patients Out of Time 14th National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics, Bethesda, MD, May 28-30, 2020 (also the 25th anniversary of POT).
Shore Grow Patient Aid 20202 fundraiser for CMMNJ: 6/27/20.

Recent events: : The Road to Legalization, Edison, NJ, 3/10/20.
“Seniors and Medical Marijuana,” Princeton Present Day Club, 3/4/20.
Open Forum on Legalization of Cannabis, Atlantic City, 3/4/20.
ASA Unity Conference, Washington, D.C., March 25 – 28, 2020 (virtual conference).

Treasury report: Checking: $4094; PayPal: $2735. Help our GOTV campaign!
Make a tax-deductible donation via PayPal to info@cmmnj.org, or, send a check to:
CMMNJ, 219 Woodside Ave., Trenton, NJ 08618

More info: Ken Wolski, RN, MPA (609) 394-2137 ohamkrw@aol.com http://www.cmmnj.org
Facebook: Friends of CMMNJ: https://www.facebook.com/groups/62462971150/
Coalition for Medical Marijuana - New Jersey: https://www.facebook.com/CoalitionforMedicalMJNJ/
Twitter: @CMM_NJ

CMMNJ blog: https://cmmnj.blogspot.com/
CMMNJ’s free, public meetings are the 2nd Tuesday of each month from 7 – 9 PM.

CMMNJ, a 501(c)(3) public charity, is a non-profit educational organization.

The ballot question voters will be asked to approve on November 3, 2020:
      Do you approve amending the Constitution to legalize a controlled form of marijuana called “cannabis”?
     Only adults at least 21 years of age could use cannabis.  The State commission created to oversee the State’s medical cannabis program would also oversee the new, personal use cannabis market. 
     Cannabis products would be subject to the State sales tax.  If authorized by the Legislature, a municipality may pass a local ordinance to charge a local tax on cannabis products.

     This amendment would legalize a controlled form of marijuana called “cannabis.”  Only persons at least 21 years of age could use cannabis products legally.
     The Cannabis Regulatory Commission would oversee the new adult cannabis market.  This commission was created in 2019 to oversee the State’s medical cannabis program.  The scope of the commission’s new authority would be detailed in laws enacted by the Legislature.
     All retail sales of cannabis products in the new adult cannabis market would be subject to the State’s sales tax.  If authorized by the Legislature, a municipality may pass a local ordinance to charge a local tax on cannabis products.

More info at:  SCR183/ACR840





Monthly Public Meeting Minutes 
March 10, 2020

February 2020 minutes approved. 3/10/20 was the 17th anniversary of CMMNJ!

Marijuana legalization in NJ will be a ballot question on Nov. 3, 2020. 
For wording of ballot question, see ABOVE or: SCR183/ACR840
Register to vote and vote in the General Elections in November. #VoteCannabis2020!
Turnout, not persuasion is needed. CMMNJ should look to a “Get Out the Vote”  (GOTV) campaign, perhaps coordinated with League of Women Voters and/or NJ colleges and universities. Bill Caruso proposed passing a legalization law before the Nov. ballot question, but Fruqan Mouzon, Esq. said that would run into the same problem the legislature encountered before—the bill became too big with too many people wanting too many things out of legalization in NJ.

Home cultivation for patients—about 800 have signed the petition: Let Patients Grow NJ. 
Also, visit the website: Let Patients Grow NJ #JeffsLaw. Web site needs to be filled out. Establish contact with NJ legislators. Create an email trail and post it. Herb Conaway has yet to answer why home cultivation was removed in 2009. What went wrong? Can we start a new bill in the Senate? 

NJ Supreme Court affirmed the appellate decision in the Wild case today, 3/10/20!

A NJ appellate court agreed to halt the review of 196 applications for 24 medical marijuana licenses. A hearing (oral arguments) won't take place before March 2020. The DOH said 51 applications were disqualified for various reasons, but applicants appealed that decision. Ed Tobias, Esq. prepared a brief due March 30th—he wants more licenses. Ed also has the first license to grow hemp in NJ—he said anyone can get one for about $400. 

NJ MMP Update: Compassionate Care Foundation opened a satellite dispensary in Atlantic City on 2/22/20, the ninth facility dispensing marijuana in NJ. It is open Thursday to Sunday.  
A Bill to expand MMP telehealth passed the Senate 2/20; Assembly to vote 3/5/20, 10 am. 

Tell Congress Not to Allow Trump to Roll Back Medical Marijuana Protections:  NORML.org

Pennington Day and Moorestown Day to be scheduled.

420 Events? State House Rally and CMMNJ booths outside NJ ATCs? Bridgett from Cura Leaf checking with Jeff Brown. She’s also checking to see if the CMMNJ hemp bands fundraiser can be reinstalled at Cura Leaf.

Upcoming Events: The Road to Legalization, Edison, NJ, 3/10/20, 10:30-4:30pm
“Seniors and Medical Marijuana,” Princeton Present Day Club, 3/4/20, 12:30 – 2:15 pm.
Open Forum on Legalization of Cannabis, Atlantic City, 3/4/20, 11 am. RSVP: (609) 457-0149. 
Garden State NORML, Lawrence Twp., NJ Library, 3/31/20, 6:30 pm.
ASA Unity Conference, Washington, D.C., March 25 – 28, 2020—held virtually, not in-person..
Patients Out of Time 14th National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics, Bethesda, MD, May 28-30, 2020 (also the 25th anniversary of POT).
Shore Grow Patient Aid 2020; fundraiser for CMMNJ: 6/27/20.

Recent events: “Seniors and Medical Marijuana,” JCC, Edison, NJ, 2/11/20.

Treasury report: Checking: $4054; PayPal: $2735. CMMNJ got a $200 donation from the Magical Butter machine won at the 2019 Shore Grow Patient Aid fundraiser. Many thanks to the Byrne family of Ewing, NJ, who, on the untimely death of their son, Will, directed memorial contributions to CMMNJ. The Byrnes said that medical marijuana greatly improved the last year of their son’s life.

Make a tax-deductible donation via PayPal to info@cmmnj.org, or send a check to:
CMMNJ
219 Woodside Ave.
Trenton, NJ 08618 

More info: Ken Wolski, RN, MPA (609) 394-2137 ohamkrw@aol.com http://www.cmmnj.org 
Facebook: Friends of CMMNJ: https://www.facebook.com/groups/62462971150/

CMMNJ, a 501(c)(3) public charity, is a non-profit educational organization.