CMMNJ Monthly Zoom Meeting Agenda for June 8, 2021

CMMNJ Monthly Zoom Meeting Agenda for June 8, 2021, 7 pm 

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86764619021?pwd=cUhNejV2NmhrYXh2UTFqSnR5RDlldz09

Meeting ID: 867 6461 9021; Passcode: 988287

Agenda: Randolph, NJ's CANNABIS LEGALIZATION FACT SHEET: 

• Adults (ages 21 and up) may legally purchase and possess up to six ounces of marijuana without facing any criminal or civil penalties. 

• It is not a crime to be under the influence of marijuana or hashish, or to possess marijuana paraphernalia or to be in possession of it while operating a car. The state still has laws against driving under the influence of drugs. 

• Criminal penalties will be reduced for those found with larger quantities (distribution of more than one ounce, but less than five pounds). 

• Those under 21 found with weed will be given a series of written warnings, rather than criminal penalties or fines. 

Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC)

The CRC will be developing the regulations for the new laws within 180 days (August 22, 2021) of the law’s signing. The CRC will license, and oversee the licenses for, six different sectors of the weed economy: cultivator, manufacturer, wholesaler, distributor, retailer, and deliverer. There will also be licenses set aside for “microbusinesses” with 10 or fewer employees, and for minority, women, and disabled-veteran owned businesses. 

The CRC invited CMMNJ to address its June 1, 2021, meeting on the following topics: Concentrates and edible cannabis products; Protecting patient access during recreational market availability:

⦁ What non-oil-based concentrates and edible products would make medical cannabis easier to take, more effective, and more accessible?  Should similar products be available to recreational users?

⦁ How would new product types--particularly those with high potency--impact public health and safety?

CMMNJ’s written testimony is on the CMMNJ blog. Patients should have access to “anything” they need. High-potency items should have warnings and dosage recommendations.

CRC meetings were held on 4/12, 4/22, 5/4, and 6/1 and can be viewed here. The next meeting is scheduled for July 13. Submit comments in writing to the Commission here or by emailing MMPquestions@doh.nj.gov 

EAZE wants to distribute free cannabis in NJ as part of their Compassionate Care program, but the issue is a “gray area.” How can we get the CRC to OK this?

NJ MMP: ASCEND Grand Opening, Rochelle Park, NJ, 5/19/21.
Zen Leaf Lawrence Twp., NJ, opened recently, the 18th dispensary in NJ.
Ascend Wellness in Fort Lee and Curaleaf dispensaries in Edgewater Park and Bordentown were approved by the CRC to open.
The CRC is working “as quickly as it can” to award 24 new medical marijuana licenses from the lawsuit-delayed 2019 RFA.

Home cultivation for patients:
NY Times: “You can’t always find the strain that…works best for your condition,” said Ken Wolski, a retired nurse who now leads the CMMNJ, a nonprofit advocacy group. “And that’s a very frustrating thing for patients.”

• A5363/S3420 legalizes cultivation of eight medical cannabis plants.
• S3407/A5435 legalizes cultivation of six plants for any NJ adult.
• S3582/A5552 legalizes cultivation of six plants for personal use, and 10 plants for medical use, by adults.

Jo Anne Zito Op Ed: For Medical Cannabis Patients, the Situation is Dire
Activist Christian Velasquez: “We want cannabis in Dover!”
Sign the petition: Let Patients Grow NJ; Website: Let Patients Grow NJ #JeffsLaw.

Research Study: Rutgers U. will study the characteristics and cannabis-related attitudes and behaviors of medical and recreational cannabis users. The study will involve a 30-minute web-based survey of 1,200 adult (18+) marijuana users in NJ (600 medical users and 600 recreational users) beginning July 2021. Dr. Anna Kline is PI on the project. Participants are eligible for a $25 gift card. 

National: The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, to remove cannabis as a federal Schedule I drug, was reintroduced into the U.S. House on 5/28/21. It passed there in Dec. 2020.
The Mississippi Supreme Court overturned the medical cannabis law voters OK’d 11/2020. 

Alabama became the 36th state to legalize medical cannabis on 5/17/21.

Upcoming Events: Hawai’i Medical Cannabis Day, June 14, 2021.
NJ State House, “50th Anniversary of the War on Drugs” 6/17/21, 11–1 pm.
NJ State House Rally for Home Grow, 6/24/21 11am-?

Recent Events: Sativa Cross Podcast, NJ State House, 5/27/21.
Hedger House Luncheon, Chatsworth, NJ, 5/26/21.
Cannabis Laws Matter, “How to Get a Micro-license” 5/13/21.
BCEI, “Cannabis Legalization and Social Equity in New Jersey” 5/29/21.
“Qualified Immunity, Community & the Church,” Salvation & Social Justice, 5/6.
Patients Out of Time, State of the Science, virtual conference, 5/20-22/2021.
International Medical Cannabis Patients Coalition, the 2nd of the month, 9 am.
Mercer County Community College, Cannabis Certification course, 5/3–6/1.
NY Cannabis Insider Conference, 5/20/21.
Asbury Park Press, “Senior Scoop,” 6/2/21 (hard copy only).

Treasury report: Checking: $10,099; PayPal: $2,880. Make a tax-deductible donation via PayPal to info@cmmnj.org, or send a check to: CMMNJ, 219 Woodside Ave., Trenton, NJ 08618. 

CMMNJ received a $135 donation from Network for Good on 5/21/21, from anonymous donors on Facebook. Thank you! Hemp wristbands are available, including wholesale prices. Will your store or dispensary display our colorful, all-hemp bracelets, so patrons can make donations to CMMNJ? 

We are deeply grateful for all support.

More info: 

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

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