The Coalition for Medical Marijuana—New Jersey (CMMNJ) is neutral on Prop 19, the initiative that will be voted on in California tomorrow to legalize marijuana for recreational and religious purposes. CMMNJ neither supports nor opposes Prop 19.
The mission of CMMNJ is to educate the public about the benefits of medical marijuana for patients who are under the care of licensed physicians. Marijuana is a safe, effective and inexpensive therapeutic agent for a wide variety of symptoms, diseases, and medical conditions. It should be available to any patient who can benefit from it. No patient should suffer needlessly, and no patient should ever go to jail for following the advice of a doctor.
Many of the most outspoken advocates for medical marijuana come from the movement for broader reform of drug laws. The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) has an office in Trenton and has been actively lobbying for medical marijuana, along with other drug policy reform issues, for a number of years. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) was perhaps the first organization in America to work for medical marijuana. In 1972, NORML petitioned the federal government to reschedule marijuana so that doctors could prescribe it. NORML’s very popular booklet, “Emerging Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids” is a layman’s guide to the previous decade’s research into the numerous medical benefits of marijuana.
But not all those who support medical marijuana support broader access to it. Numerous patients, their families, health care organizations and medical professionals have also supported medical marijuana in New Jersey and they have no position on broader legalization of marijuana for recreational or religious purposes. It is simply not their issue.
So the voters in California will decide on Prop 19 tomorrow. The outcome is currently too close to call. Regardless of the outcome at the polls, Prop 19 is already a winner. It’s placement on the statewide ballot, its favorable polling numbers for several months, and its endorsement by numerous organizations and editorial boards has increased the dialogue about marijuana and has helped to dispel much of the government propaganda about the drug. It is this “reefer madness” that has held back medical marijuana access throughout the country. Even here in New Jersey, the 14th state to pass a medical marijuana law, nearly one full year ago, no patients are expected to legally receive marijuana for another 8 months or so.
Why are politicians so reluctant to allow even the sick and dying to have access to marijuana when the physicians of these desperately ill patients recommend it? The answer is, “Fear.” There is still fear that perhaps the federal government is right when it exaggerates the dangers and denies the benefits of medical marijuana. But California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana when it passed Prop 215 in 1996. Now, after a 14-year experiment with medical marijuana, California is not looking to go backwards. After the direct experience of hundreds of thousands of patients, their caregivers, their families and the medical professionals who follow these patients and monitor their progress, California is looking to expand access to marijuana with Prop 19, not become more restrictive.
If Prop 19 fails to pass into law tomorrow, it has laid the groundwork for marijuana legalization in California by 2012. Governor Schwarzenegger has said that it is time for a dialogue about marijuana legalization. That dialogue has taken place and the “Ayes” have it, or soon will. The outcome of this dialogue can only speed access to medical marijuana patients throughout the land.
Ken Wolski, RN, Executive Director
Coalition for Medical Marijuana—New Jersey, Inc. (www.cmmnj.org)
November 1, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
NJ DHSS starts marijuana registry for doctors
The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) launched the physician registry for the Medial Marijuana Program today. No other state with a medical cannabis access law has this requirement.
https://njmmp.nj.gov/njmmp/
CMMNJ press release below:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey CMMNJ
www.cmmnj.org
CONTACT: Ken Wolski or Chris Goldstein 609 394 2137 media@cmmnj.org
NJ DHSS starts doctor registry for marijuana
The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) launched the physician registry for the Medical Marijuana Program today. No other state has this requirement. The details emerged in draft regulations DHSS released earlier this month.
LINK https://njmmp.nj.gov/njmmp/
Ken Wolski is a Registered Nurse and the executive director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey. He issued the following statement today:
"The entire physician registration program is unnecessary and was created in the draft regulations from DHSS and not the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act. The law only calls for a patient registry, not a physician registry.
The DHSS says that there will be a public comment period on the draft regulations after they are published in the NJ Register in November. This new registry has no input from patients, legislators or the public.
Moreover, the physician registration program is even more limiting. A new requirement says that physicians must certify that they have completed medical education in Addiction Medicine and Pain Management within the past two years. Physicians must include the course title that covers these two areas, or they will be rejected from the registry.
This is a curious add-on. Marijuana is approximately as addictive as caffeine. Physicians should not be required to take a course in addiction medicine for recommending a substance with documented low addiction potential.
The physician, as part of the registry process, must further certify that the patient has not responded to conventional medical treatment for all qualifying conditions. This goes far beyond the law, which currently requires only a few diagnoses to be resistant to conventional treatment.
The physician is also required to attest that; 'I have provided education for the patient on the lack of scientific consensus for the use of medical marijuana.' This is a blatantly political statement, at odds with the law itself, and shows open hostility to the use of marijuana as medicine.
Finally, it appears that DHSS has also added a new Debilitating Medical Condition to the list that will qualify for medical marijuana. 'Agitation due to Alzheimer's Disease' is now included, arbitrarily, with no public comment.
While it is entirely appropriate to add this condition, it is entirely inappropriate to stop there. Why must tens of thousands of chronic pain patients wait a minimum of two years to be included in NJ's law, when the DHSS clearly has the power to add qualifying conditions so easily?”
CMMNJ is holding a Patient Advisory Group meeting at the Collingswood Public library at 7:00PM on Wednesday October 27th.
More information at www.cmmnj.org
CONTACT: Ken Wolski or Chris Goldstein 609 394 2137 media@cmmnj.org
https://njmmp.nj.gov/njmmp/
CMMNJ press release below:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey CMMNJ
www.cmmnj.org
CONTACT: Ken Wolski or Chris Goldstein 609 394 2137 media@cmmnj.org
NJ DHSS starts doctor registry for marijuana
The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) launched the physician registry for the Medical Marijuana Program today. No other state has this requirement. The details emerged in draft regulations DHSS released earlier this month.
LINK https://njmmp.nj.gov/njmmp/
Ken Wolski is a Registered Nurse and the executive director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey. He issued the following statement today:
"The entire physician registration program is unnecessary and was created in the draft regulations from DHSS and not the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act. The law only calls for a patient registry, not a physician registry.
The DHSS says that there will be a public comment period on the draft regulations after they are published in the NJ Register in November. This new registry has no input from patients, legislators or the public.
Moreover, the physician registration program is even more limiting. A new requirement says that physicians must certify that they have completed medical education in Addiction Medicine and Pain Management within the past two years. Physicians must include the course title that covers these two areas, or they will be rejected from the registry.
This is a curious add-on. Marijuana is approximately as addictive as caffeine. Physicians should not be required to take a course in addiction medicine for recommending a substance with documented low addiction potential.
The physician, as part of the registry process, must further certify that the patient has not responded to conventional medical treatment for all qualifying conditions. This goes far beyond the law, which currently requires only a few diagnoses to be resistant to conventional treatment.
The physician is also required to attest that; 'I have provided education for the patient on the lack of scientific consensus for the use of medical marijuana.' This is a blatantly political statement, at odds with the law itself, and shows open hostility to the use of marijuana as medicine.
Finally, it appears that DHSS has also added a new Debilitating Medical Condition to the list that will qualify for medical marijuana. 'Agitation due to Alzheimer's Disease' is now included, arbitrarily, with no public comment.
While it is entirely appropriate to add this condition, it is entirely inappropriate to stop there. Why must tens of thousands of chronic pain patients wait a minimum of two years to be included in NJ's law, when the DHSS clearly has the power to add qualifying conditions so easily?”
CMMNJ is holding a Patient Advisory Group meeting at the Collingswood Public library at 7:00PM on Wednesday October 27th.
More information at www.cmmnj.org
CONTACT: Ken Wolski or Chris Goldstein 609 394 2137 media@cmmnj.org
Monday, October 25, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
NJ Medical Marijuana Patient Advisory Group at Jersey City Hall
EVENT: Patient meeting
LOCATION: Jersey City, City Hall
TIME: 7:00PM ET
NJ Medical Marijuana Patient Advisory Group at Jersey City Hall
On October 20, 2010 the Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey (CMMNJ) is hosting a meeting of the Patient Advisory Group (PAG) in Jersey City.
LOCATION: Jersey City, City Hall
TIME: 7:00PM ET
NJ Medical Marijuana Patient Advisory Group at Jersey City Hall
On October 20, 2010 the Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey (CMMNJ) is hosting a meeting of the Patient Advisory Group (PAG) in Jersey City.
New Jersey residents who are potentially qualifying medical marijuana patients, their caregivers and physicians are invited to attend. Patients with conditions not specifically designated in the law are also welcome to attend.
The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act was signed into law in January 2010. After a 90-day delay was approved this summer the state is attempting to fully implement the program in January 2011.
This week legislators began challenging the draft regulations issued by the Department of Health and Senior Services. The proposed rules for the program are viewed as overly restrictive and outside of the intent of the law.
As part of CMMNJ's on-going educational program focused on NJ’s medical cannabis patient/caregiver/medical community, the PAG goal is to facilitate networking and information sharing among these stakeholders in medical marijuana.
This includes helping affected citizens organize to request coverage for additional medical conditions under the law.
Tonight’s meeting will offer a general overview of the law and ask for patient perspectives on the new program.
CMMNJ is a 501(c)(3) public charity providing education about the benefits of safe and legal access to medical marijuana and has been working for the legalization of medical marijuana since 2003.
The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey (CMMNJ) www.cmmnj.org
Read the full text of NJ's medical marijuana law http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2008/
The Coalition for Medical Marijuana of New Jersey
(609) 394-2137
Monday, October 18, 2010
Demonstration for Medical marijuana in Trenton today
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey CMMNJ
www.cmmnj.org
CONTACT: Ken Wolski 609 394 2137 or Chris Goldstein media@cmmnj.org
Medical marijuana in Trenton today
A press conference and a peaceful demonstration are scheduled for today, October 18 from 12:00NOON to 2:00PM. The location is the front steps of the State House in Trenton.
Potential New Jersey medical marijuana patients, their families, NJ physicians and local advocates will participate. Detailed concerns with draft regulations issued by the Department of Health and Senior Services last week will be addressed.
The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey CMMNJ
www.cmmnj.org
CONTACT: Ken Wolski 609 394 2137 or Chris Goldstein media@cmmnj.org
Medical marijuana in Trenton today
A press conference and a peaceful demonstration are scheduled for today, October 18 from 12:00NOON to 2:00PM. The location is the front steps of the State House in Trenton.
Potential New Jersey medical marijuana patients, their families, NJ physicians and local advocates will participate. Detailed concerns with draft regulations issued by the Department of Health and Senior Services last week will be addressed.
Stephen Cuspilich of Burlington County, who lives with Crohn’s Disease, plans to be at the demonstration. “I hope that they will go over the regulations to make it all more patient friendly,” he said today.
Those gathered will also support a new resolution being introduced by Senator Nicholas Scutari. The move is the first step in a process that could rescind the draft regulations issued by the DHSS.
Legislators, patients and advocates found the draft rules for the new medical marijuana program so extremely restrictive that they have missed the intent of the law.
Jay Lassiter is an activist and blogger at BlueJeresy.com who has been involved with the medical cannabis effort.
"I was infected with HIV as a teenager. I've taken anti-retroviral meds for more than half my life just to survive. Despite pharmaceutical advances, these powerful meds can have severe side effects that can easily be treated with a puff or two of medical marijuana.”
"I was infected with HIV as a teenager. I've taken anti-retroviral meds for more than half my life just to survive. Despite pharmaceutical advances, these powerful meds can have severe side effects that can easily be treated with a puff or two of medical marijuana.”
Lassiter will speak at the press conference today with a cadre of local patients including Jennifer Lande of Medford.
Ken Wolski RN, the executive director of The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey, and Anne Davis the executive director of NORML-NJ will lead the demonstration and address the media.
CONTACT: Ken Wolski 609 394 2137 or Chris Goldstein media@cmmnj.org
CMMNJ Patient Advisory Group meetings are being held around the state this month.
October 20: Jersey City, Caucus Room, City Hall – 7:00 pm
October 20: Jersey City, Caucus Room, City Hall – 7:00 pm
October 21: Wayne Public Library, Wayne, NJ - 7:00 pm
October 27: Collingswood Public Library, Collingswood, NJ – 7:00 pm
October 27: Collingswood Public Library, Collingswood, NJ – 7:00 pm
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Limits on THC in medical marijuana unfounded
Limits on THC in medical marijuana unfounded
by Chris Goldstein - The Department of Health and Senior Services offered dozens of new restrictions on medical marijuana in their draft regulations for New Jersey’s law. But the limitation on THC content to just 10% is one of the key concerns.
“Are they serious?” was an almost universal reaction from dozens of potential patients who contacted me after the regulations were released. This time it was from Stephen Cuspilich of Burlington County, who lives with Crohn’s Disease.
“It’s awful. How is that supposed to work for me?”
DHSS held a public meeting for potential Alternative Treatment Center operators this week. Deputy Commissioner Dr. Susan Walsh took questions and a lot of heat about the THC issue.
Walsh stated that the department’s scientific research into THC content came primarily from the University of California San Diego and the University of Mississippi.
It happens that those two study programs work with only a single strain of marijuana supplied by the federal government. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) oversees that federal marijuana cultivation.
But NIDA is not concerned with producing quality medical marijuana. According to a Boston Globe feature article:
"…the institute's director, Nora Volkow, has stressed that it's 'not NIDA's mission to study the medicinal use of marijuana or to advocate for the establishment of facilities to support this research.'" READ FULL ARTICLE
Restricting any of the cannabinoid content of New Jersey’s medical marijuana was not part of the legislation and for good reason: Marijuana and the component cannabinoids are safe.
Greater cannabinoid levels, not just THC but also the non-psychoactive compound CBD, benefit patients in their treatment.
http://www.examiner.com/norml-in-philadelphia/nj-leave-thc-levels-unregulated
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Medical marijuana in Trenton on Monday 10/18
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - EVENT
The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey CMMNJ
www.cmmnj.org
CONTACT: Ken Wolski 609 394 2137 or Chris Goldstein media@cmmnj.org
Medical marijuana in Trenton on Monday
A press conference and a peaceful demonstration are scheduled for Monday October 18 from 12:00NOON to 2:00PM. The location is the front steps of the State House in Trenton.
Potential New Jersey medical marijuana patients, their families, NJ physicians and local advocates will participate. Detailed concerns with draft regulations issued by the Department of Health and Senior Services last week will be addressed.
Senator Nicholas Scutari and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, the sponsors of the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, immediately stated that the details in the regulations were outside of the legislative intent.
Senator Scutari told the Newark Star-Ledger today that he plans to repeal the rules proposed by Christie Administration. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/10/nj_senator_plans_to_repeal_gov.html
Local advocates contend that the proposed regulations violate the law and severely interfere with patient access.
Stephen Cuspilich of Burlington County, who lives with Crohn’s Disease, plans to be at the demonstration. “I hope that they will go over the regulations to make it all more patient friendly,” he said today.
CONTACT: Ken Wolski 609 394 2137 or Chris Goldstein media@cmmnj.org
CMMNJ Patient Advisory Group meetings are being held around the state this month.
October 21: Wayne Public Library, Wayne, NJ - 7:00 pm
October 27: Collingswood Public Library, Collingswood, NJ – 7:00 pm
October 28: Ocean City Public Library, Ocean City, NJ – 6:45 pm
The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey CMMNJ
www.cmmnj.org
CONTACT: Ken Wolski 609 394 2137 or Chris Goldstein media@cmmnj.org
Medical marijuana in Trenton on Monday
A press conference and a peaceful demonstration are scheduled for Monday October 18 from 12:00NOON to 2:00PM. The location is the front steps of the State House in Trenton.
Potential New Jersey medical marijuana patients, their families, NJ physicians and local advocates will participate. Detailed concerns with draft regulations issued by the Department of Health and Senior Services last week will be addressed.
Senator Nicholas Scutari and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, the sponsors of the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, immediately stated that the details in the regulations were outside of the legislative intent.
Senator Scutari told the Newark Star-Ledger today that he plans to repeal the rules proposed by Christie Administration. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/10/nj_senator_plans_to_repeal_gov.html
Local advocates contend that the proposed regulations violate the law and severely interfere with patient access.
Stephen Cuspilich of Burlington County, who lives with Crohn’s Disease, plans to be at the demonstration. “I hope that they will go over the regulations to make it all more patient friendly,” he said today.
CONTACT: Ken Wolski 609 394 2137 or Chris Goldstein media@cmmnj.org
CMMNJ Patient Advisory Group meetings are being held around the state this month.
October 21: Wayne Public Library, Wayne, NJ - 7:00 pm
October 27: Collingswood Public Library, Collingswood, NJ – 7:00 pm
October 28: Ocean City Public Library, Ocean City, NJ – 6:45 pm
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