CMMNJ December 9, 2014 Meeting Agenda

Monthly Public Meeting Agenda 
Lawrence Township Library, Room #3
Tuesday, December 9, 2014, 7:00 PM -- 9:00 PM

Approve October 2014 minutes (no November meeting).  Discuss:

“CMMNJ TV” began broadcasting from Princeton Community TV on 11/11/14.  Episodes run twice a week for two weeks--Tues., 10 pm & Fri., 10:30 am on Comcast Ch. 30 & Verizon FIOS Ch. 45.

Patient’s Handbook from CMMNJ coming soon.

CMMNJ awaits action on “Petition for Rulemaking,” requesting MMP regulatory changes, that DOH received 10/16/14.

Ed Forchion (NJWeedman) asks appeals court to agree NJ pot laws are racist and contradictory.

Election 2014: Alaska, Oregon, & Washington D.C. legalize marijuana.  Fla. medical falls short.

NJ bills: A3726 (PTSD); A3525/S2312 (MMP fix); S1896/A3094 (legalize); A218 (decrim).

Upcoming Events: Sabina Rose Memorial, Statehouse, Trenton, 12/2/14 at 11 am.
Cannabis Christmas Party & Poe Roast, Underground Arts, Philadelphia, 12/13/14 at 8 pm.
“Medical Marijuana: Myths & Medicine,” PA State Nurses Assn., 3/26/15 Millersville Univ.
Medical Marijuana patient Chris Donahue’s trial in Doylestown, PA.

Recent events: Legalize Marijuana Rally (NJ Cannabis Conference) in Trenton, 10/18/14; Jennie Stormes fled to Colorado (medical marijuana refugee) the next day, 10/19/14.  Thursday demonstrations at the Statehouse ended 11/20/14 for winter break—to resume in the spring.
Medical marijuana “Patients Panel” at Ramapo College, 11/13/14.
“Ignorance is No Excuse” tour distributes the MMP A.G. guidelines to local P.D.’s.
Central NORML NJ meeting at Firkin Tavern, Ewing, NJ 11/19 (3rd Wed. of the month), 7pm.

Treasury report: Checking: $3861; PayPal: $3626. CMMNJ is selling hand-rolled hemp bracelets/necklaces from Romania @ $3 each or 2/$5.

CMMNJ's meetings are the second Tuesday of each month from 7 - 9 PM at the Lawrence Twp. Library, 2751 Brunswick Pike, Lawrence Twp., Tel. #609.882.9246.  All are welcome.  (Meeting at the library does not imply Mercer County’s endorsement of our issue.)

More info:  Ken Wolski, RN
(609) 394-2137 ohamkrw@aol.com
http://www.cmmnj.org

Facebook: Friends of CMMNJ:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/62462971150/?fref=ts

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

Recent Media Coverage and Blogs:

Opinion: Legal marijuana use for adults - a smart idea
http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/11/opinion_legal_marijuana_use_for_adults_would_be_a_smart_idea.html

Obstructionist Policies Prevent Successful Implementation of Medical Marijuana Program
http://www.ahherald.com/letters/18764-obstructionist-policies-prevent-successful-implementation-of-medical-marijuana-program

A call to action on medical marijuana: Letter
http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/11/a_call_to_action_on_medical_marijuana_letter.html

Philly420: Cannabis candies for Trick-or-Treat? Unlikely
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/Cannabis_candies_for_Trick-or-Treat_Unlikely.html

Rastafarian college student sues police over pot bust,
claims they profiled his dreadlocks
http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2014/11/rastafarian_college_sues_keansburg_police_claims_they_profiled_him_for_his_dreadlocks.html

Judge tosses out evidence in medical marijuana patient's possession case
http://www.nj.com/sussex-county/index.ssf/2014/11/judge_tosses_out_evidence_in_medical_marijuana_patients_possession_case.html

Updated: Employee who confronted Princeton over medical marijuana no longer employed by U.
http://dailyprincetonian.com/news/2014/11/employee-who-confronted-princeton-over-medical-marijuana-use-no-longer-employed-by-u/

Princeton Univ. employee who protested medical marijuana ultimatum no longer works for school
http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2014/11/princeton_university_fires_employee_seeking_to_smoke_medical_marijuana.html

NYC has come to its senses on marijuana. Will N.J.? (Editorial)
http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/11/nyc_marijuana_policy.html

N.J. Weedman appealing sentence he already served,
contends state pot laws are racist
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/11/nj_weedman_contests_racist_contradictory_marijuana_laws_he_says_in_court_filing.html

New medical marijuana dispensary in Cranbury gets permit to grow
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/11/new_medical_marijuana_dispensary_in_cranbury_gets_permit_to_start_growing.html

Victory in fight to legalize marijuana
http://www.northjersey.com/news/nj-state-news/victory-in-fight-to-legalize-marijuana-1.1141979

CMMNJ TV 1.14
https://vimeo.com/112526679?email_id=Y2xpcF90cmFuc2NvZGVkfGE4NWY1OThkZjg2NjBlMTIxY2FhYjk4ODk5OTc2NmEyNDc5fDIzOTE1ODF8MTQxNjYwMjYwM3w3NzAx&utm_campaign=7701&utm_medium=clip-transcode_complete-finished-20120100&utm_source=email

Legalization - What to Expect
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mulahkAmoIQ&feature=youtu.be

Decarboxylation
http://skunkpharmresearch.com/decarboxylation/

Remembering Cheryl Miller
http://www.ladybud.com/2014/11/12/remembering-cheryl-miller-beloved-wife-and-friend-activist-and-inspiration/

Cheryl Miller Memorial Press Conference, March and Protest Rally in Trenton

WHO: Medical marijuana patients, families and advocates
WHAT: Hold a Press Conference at the Statehouse, then March to Rally at the Dept. of Health
WHEN: Friday, June 7, 2013: 12:00 noon Press Conference; 12:45 pm March to Dept. of Health
WHERE: NJ Statehouse steps, then to 369 S. Warren St., Trenton, NJ
WHY:      Failure to meaningfully implement the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act

Friends of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey will demonstrate in Trenton between the hours of 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM on June 7, 2013, the 10th anniversary of the death of medical marijuana patient and activist Cheryl Miller.  Medical marijuana patients, families and advocates will gather at the Statehouse steps for a 12:00 noon press conference to protest the state’s failure to meaningfully implement the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act.

Present will be patients who are registered in the program but not yet able to access their medicine, those who have a qualifying condition but are not able to register, and those have a non-qualifying condition because of the narrow list allowable under current state law.

Meghan Wilson, whose two year old daughter Vivian is a registered medical marijuana patient will wrap up the press conference before supporters begin the 1/2 mile "march" (at approximately 12:45pm) to the Department of Health at 369 South Warren St., Trenton.  Patients who are not able to march will be there to greet them at approximately 1:00pm. There will be a brief memorial remembrance of Cheryl Lee Miller on the tenth anniversary of her passing.  Medical marijuana patients will have the opportunity to hand-deliver letters of concern and objection to Health Dept. officials.

Jim Miller said, “Patients will be heard, and we will continue to expand this program to accurately reflect our needs.”

For further information, contact: Jim Miller at 908.278.4172 or:

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

CMMNJ, a 501(c)(3) public charity, provides education about the benefits medical marijuana.

CMMNJ May 14, 2013 Meeting Minutes

Monthly Public Meeting Minutes 
Tuesday, May 14, 2013; 7:00 PM -- 9:00 PM

7:00 PM: Meeting called to order. April 2013 minutes approved. Discussion:

Upcoming Events: 
Cheryl Miller Memorial in Trenton on Friday, June 7 from 11am to 3pm—Press Conference at the State House & march to Health Dept. for a rally. More on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/156388517866235/
Gay Pride Parade, Asbury Park, 6/2/13, noon to 7 pm; 
Green Fair, Bordentown, NJ, Sat., 6/8/13;
CMMNJ fundraiser, “The Pop Shop,” 6/12/13, 8am to 9pm, 729 Haddon Avenue, Collingswood 856-869-0111, (mention CMMNJ to your server), more at: http://www.thepopshopusa.com; 
D.C.: Silver Tour Lobby Day: First Ever Senior Marijuana Rally In Nation's Capitol, June 17. Great 28 minute video, “Should Grandma Smoke Pot?” at: http://www.gofundme.com/1wvgxk

NJ’s Medicinal Marijuana Program: DOH promises to open ATCs in Egg Harbor Twp., and Woodbridge by Sept. but these facilities still await DOH permits to grow marijuana. The lawsuit against DOH for failure to implement the MMP is progressing; oral arguments expected in late May. Only about 150 patients have received medical marijuana in NJ in 4th year of the program.

Recent events: 

Spreading the word at MS Walks, Newtown, PA & Ocean City, NJ; 
"Medical Marijuana Update," NJ Case Management Society, Woodbridge Hilton, 4/17/13; 
“The Science of Marijuana,” Ramapo College, 4/4/13 with Dr. Jahan Marcu; 
NORML NJ meeting 5/13, The Ale House, New Brunswick;
Radio interviews on WFAN with Bob Salter; 
CMMNJ Board of Directors meeting 5/2/13.

Treasury report: Current finances: Checking account: $4127; PayPal account: $3830. Billboard campaign on Facebook raised over $500:
http://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/5w32/medical-marijuana-billboard-in-trenton

Next CMMNJ meeting: 6/11/13, 7 - 9 PM, Lawrence Library, 2751 Brunswick Pike, 08648. 

More info: 

Ken Wolski, RN, MPA, Executive Director

Coalition for Medical Marijuana—New Jersey, Inc.,  http://www.cmmnj.org 

219 Woodside Ave., Trenton, NJ 08618 

(609) 394-2137 

ohamkrw@aol.com  kenwolski@gmail.com

Facebook: Friends of CMMNJ: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/62462971150/?fref=ts 

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

"What would Cheryl do?" Medical marijuana and MS

The Greater Delaware Valley chapter of the National MS Society unceremoniously pulled the plug on the Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey (CMMNJ) after originally offering us a table at their March 23rd "Beef and Beer" fundraiser in Philadelphia. They waited until I showed up to have a volunteer tell me that there was no table available, and when pressed for an explanation it was explained to me that someone associated with Clear Channel Outdoor threatened to "pull sponsorship" if CMMNJ was allowed to distribute information about medical marijuana at the event. So they acquiesced to coercion and promptly sent me packing. http://cmmnj.blogspot.com/2013/03/ms-society-refuses-medical-marijuana.html

In order to fully understand how unacceptable that is to me, I find it necessary to share some otherwise very personal information. I say this especially to the people running the show at the MS Society's Greater Delaware Valley Chapter, whom I will contacting and offering a link to this blog as well as the one preceding it. This way, they will at least have the benefit of being aware of my intentions ahead of time, unlike the blind side they provided me with.

Although it was almost a decade ago, I remember June 4th, 2003 as if it were yesterday. It was a Wednesday. It was also the day that I had to tell my wife that she was about to die. Two days earlier we had checked Cheryl into the hospital because a weekend bout of chest congestion was causing her to breathe more rapidly than normal. We were assuming that she might need some IV antibiotics, and maybe some nebulizer treatments and additional IV fluids. There had been a noticeable decline in her already compromised condition over the previous few months and I wasn't taking any chances. Multiple sclerosis already had a formidable list of conquests over Cheryl's rapidly weakening body and I didn't want to see that list grow further.

I was sitting with Cheryl while she slept when a nurse called me into the hallway. She informed me that Cheryl had lost her ability to swallow properly. She was slowly aspirating liquid into her lungs and would be needing a feeding tube to survive. So this was it. It had finally come time for me to stand up for Cheryl one last time. She had been very clear about her wish to have no extraordinary means taken to prolong the inevitable. Having no feeding tube was at the top of her list, and it was up to me to make sure that request was honored. Cheryl had lived her life with dignity, and she wanted to die with dignity.

I went over to the chair by her bed and sat there watching her sleep. She had endured so much during the two decades that I had known her, even beyond her struggle with MS. Her youngest son, Ricky, died from an accidental gunshot to the head 20 years earlier and her only daughter, Deena, had been gone for four years, having been killed in a car accident in Oklahoma. Beyond all of that, she suffered physically every time she painfully put her deteriorating body on display while publicly challenging medical marijuana prohibitionists to explain their views to her personally. She would use civil disobedience as a tool to embarrass them when they refused. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KdxUcwAOkI

When she finally woke up I told her that I had something important to tell her...that she was about to be with Ricky and Deena again. She looked puzzled at first, then she closed her eyes and acknowledged my meaning with a slight smile and a nod of her head. She missed them so much and she believed that they would all be together again someday, and here I was telling her that day had finally come. Then Cheryl opened her eyes, turned her head slightly to look at me, and and softly said, "Aww honey...I'm sorry." Her concern for MY well-being at a time like that would surprise nobody who knew her. It was also a transition to something else that I needed to tell her while there was still time. I had made Cheryl a wedding vow almost 19 years earlier, promising to do for her whatever her arms or legs could not, till death do we part. Now that we were about to part, I felt that she deserved to know that I didn't feel capable of continuing on as a medical marijuana advocate without her. Although Cheryl did what she did for everybody else with multiple sclerosis, I did what I did for her. I relied on her strength to realize my own, and now she would no longer be here to help me keep my eyes on the prize.

She looked a little confused as I tried to explain my doubts about being able to continue on as a medical marijuana advocate without her. Then she softly but definitively said, "But you HAVE to," followed by rhetorically asking me, "Don't you wish someone had told us about medical marijuana long before we found out on our own?" Then she paraphrased what she had first told me a dozen years earlier when I asked her if she wanted me to quietly take care of her with cannabis, or go public with our discovery. "We shouldn't wish that somebody would have done something for us that we aren't willing to do for someone else." In an effort to give her closure, I promised that whenever an opportunity presented itself to spread accurate and up to date medical marijuana information to MS patients, I would ask myself,  "What would Cheryl do?" I told her that if I felt that she would have shown up, I would show up and do the best that I could without her. She died peacefully three days later.

Which brings me to the situation at hand. I have a promise to keep. I know exactly what Cheryl would do to ensure that MS patients in the Greater Delaware Valley are not denied access to medical marijuana information. SHE would show up at one of the 14 upcoming "Walk MS" fundraising events being sponsored by the offending chapter and hand out medical marijuana information to participants directly...the same information that was censored at the March 23rd fundraiser. The locations and dates of those walks can be found here: https://secure3.convio.net/nmss/site/SPageServer?pagename=WLK_National

Cheryl began handing out information in New Jersey about cannabis therapeutics relative to MS at the 1994 Toms River MS walk, and continued the tradition at various Jersey Shore locations over the next nine years. Her last time out in public was at the Ortley Beach walk in April of 2003, six weeks before she died.

"Cheryl's last Walk MS event, at Ortley Beach NJ, April 2003" 

She showed up at these events in response to the National MS Society's deliberate and purposeful underestimation of the potential benefits of cannabis for MS patients in the '90s. They would say that they could not recommend cannabis use for MS patients until there were more studies done, while refusing to do the research that they insisted was necessary to get accurate information. They preferred to be ignorant by design.

And now? Using research performed by organizations other of their own, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's National Clinical Advisory Board concluded in its 2008 "Treatment Recommendations for Physicians" that "it is clear that cannabinoids have potential both for the management of MS symptoms such as pain and spasticity, as well as for neuroprotection." They then go on to estimate that 15% of MS patients already use cannabis for symptomatic relief. However, the real bombshell was their observation that "an unexpected result of basic research, as well as some evidence from clinical trials, led to the discovery that cannabinoids may also reduce neuronal damage." Reduce neuronal damage? They continue on, saying that a reduction in neuronal damage could result in "possibly limiting disease progression" and that marijuana could be used "perhaps as an add-on to other treatments," concluding that "in some ways this is even more exciting than its effects on symptoms such as pain and spasticity."

Really? Let me be clear why that is so exciting. In Cheryl's case, limiting disease progression means that she might have been with me longer and she would have suffered less. This information was prevented from being handed out to the 250 people attending the March 23rd fundraiser.

The success and scope of my response to the censorship of medical marijuana information at the MS Society's Greater Delaware Valley chapter fundraiser is dependent on the amount of help I have. I can't cover all 7 walks happening on April 21st, and I can't cover all 6 walks being held on May 5th. However I will enjoy the May 4th event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and will be able to attend one walk on each of the other two days that they are being held. I currently have two potential offers of help, meaning that in a best case scenario we could cover as many as half of the 14 scheduled MS Walks in the Delaware Valley.

Anyone wanting to help make it a clean sweep and deliver a message that will be heard loud and clear, you can get in touch with me at pot4ms@yahoo.com. I will be able to make your participation as easy as possible. I can guarantee you, virtually everyone you hand a flyer to will thank you, especially those who are walking for an MS patient who is one of the 15% not waiting for the blessing of the Multiple Sclerosis Society before reaping the benefits of medical marijuana.

Jim Miller, President
CMMNJ

MS Society Refuses Medical Marijuana Information

Imagine my surprise when I found out that the Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey (CMMNJ) had been invited to have a table at the Greater Delaware Valley MS Society's March 23rd "Beef and Beer" fundraiser.

I have been at odds with the National MS Society over their deliberate ignorance concerning the benefits of medical marijuana relative to MS symptoms since 1995. In 1997 Cheryl headed up the Cures Not Wars yearly May March down 5th Ave in Manhattan with a sign that said "MS Society's Dr. Reingold Lies About Medical Marijuana."

(pictured: Cheryl Miller leading 1997 Cures Not Wars March in New York City)

After the march, legal federal medical marijuana patient Elvy Musika accompanied us as we delivered the sign to the National MS Society's headquarters at 733 3rd Ave. Dr. Reingold chose not to come down to the lobby to accept it in person. He was the head of research and director of grants management for the MS Society at that time and he was doing everything that he could to see that marijuana was NOT clinically studied relative to MS, while at the same time marginalizing multiple sclerosis studies that had been done with THC. As more and more positive information about cannabis began emerging from the British and Canadian MS Societies, our National MS Society's Clinical Advisory Board had to start making certain stipulations such as, "Because inhaled smoked cannabis has more favorable pharmacokinetics than administration via oral or other routes, research should focus on the development of an inhaled mode of administration that gives results as close to smoked cannabis as possible." And, "There are sufficient data available to suggest that cannabiniods may have neuroprotective effects and that studies in this area should be aggressively pursued."

Although I have handed out medical marijuana information at MS Society walks and bike rides for 18 years, both with and without Cheryl, this would be my first time doing so by invitation. It seemed that we had indeed come a long way.

On Saturday, March 23, 2013 Cathi and I arrived at Heroes Hall FOP Lodge #5 on Caroline Road in N.E. Philadelphia, 40 minutes ahead of the 7:30 PM scheduled start of the fundraiser. We knew that there would be 250 attendees plunking down $40 apiece at the door before the actual fundraiser began. Although the night might prove to be financially beneficial for CMMNJ, the real reason that I was there was to interact with supporters who showed such commitment towards improving the lives of MS patients and their families. Statistically speaking, the vast majority would be glad to find out what they could do to help urge the MS Society to take a more active role in cannabis research relative to MS symptoms, and they would no doubt agree that two decades worth of saying that "we need more studies" without attempting to do those studies is no longer acceptable.

When fellow CMMNJ board member Nick Mellis arrived with our table material we all went in to set up. That is when "if it SEEMS too good to be true, it IS too good to be true" set in. As Nick was bringing the second tub of table material in we were told that "there is a problem with your table". It seems that that someone with ties to Clear Channel Outdoor (http://clearchanneloutdoor.com/about-us/) objected to medical marijuana information being available to MS patients and their families at the fundraiser, even if it originated from the MS Society itself, and they threatened to pull sponsorship from the event if we were allowed to set up.

This happened with plenty of time to inform us of the change, yet nobody bothered to notify anyone at CMMNJ. They left two extremely chagrined MS Society volunteers who supported us being there, to tell us to go home when we arrived. Against my initial instinct to react, I opted for leaving on the high road handed to us, and evaluating potential repercussions for that decision that would not be reactionary and immediate, but rather well thought out and planned with an end goal in mind all of the way.

(pictured: Jim Miller leaving the premises, using a hand rail and a walker to get up the steps)

When we are ready in a few days and our reply is fully fleshed out, I will be more than happy to deliver OUR counter offer to the Greater Delaware Valley MS Society's office unannounced and in person. Stay tuned for next weeks blog and a first look at my idea of a return volley. You are REALLY going to like this.

Jim Miller
President and Co-Founder
CMMNJ

CMMNJ Medical Marijuana Radio PSA

CMMNJ Medical Marijuana Radio PSA


The Coalition for Medical Marijuana in New Jersey now has a 30-second radio public service announcement or PSA available for radio stations and online broadcasters.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN NOW: CMMNJ MP3

Longtime medical marijuana supporter and CMMNJ volunteer Diane Fornbacher voiced the script. Diane was a personal friend of Cheryl Miller and will voice a set of new PSAs and announcements soon.

CMNNJ supporters are encouraged to download the MP3 and send it via email or send links to radio stations, radio producers, podcasts, satellite radio shows and streaming internet programs.

We’ll let you know where you can hear the announcement next!

Medical Marijuana supporters are encouraged to produce volunteer media with text blogs, audio and video on sites like Youtube to support A804 in New Jersey.