CMMNJ Monthly Zoom Meeting Agenda for September 14, 2021

CMMNJ Zoom Meeting Agenda for September 14, 2021, at 7 pm 

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84409149862?pwd=MWVybDk0WFJ1ZFlid2pOTjZTVzl4QT09

Meeting ID: 844 0914 9862

Passcode: 447702

Agenda: 

The Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) adopted the initial set of regulations to govern the legal cannabis industry in NJ at the meeting on 8/19/21.

The approved rules address barriers to entry, including:

⦁ Prioritizing applications from certified minority-, women-, and disabled veteran-owned businesses, and from applicants in one of several designated Impact Zones or economically disadvantaged areas;

⦁ Flexible application requirements for microbusinesses (no more than 10 employees and premises of 2,500 square feet) and for conditional licenses;

⦁ Application fees as low as $100

Next, the CRC will examine distribution and delivery service businesses and prepare a Request for Application (RFA) process, to be published in NJ Register. Applications will have priority review, scoring, and approval for Social Equity Businesses, Diversely Owned Businesses, and Impact Zone Businesses. Regulators must pick a date for sales to launch within 180 days.

Social Equity Businesses: based on either economic need or having a criminal record from past marijuana-related offenses.

The kinds of personal-use cannabis business licenses that will be available: Authorized Activity 

Class 1 Cannabis Cultivator: Grow personal-use cannabis (cap on 37 cultivators for two years after February 22, 2021) 

Class 2 Cannabis Manufacturer: Produce personal-use cannabis 

Class 3 Cannabis Wholesaler: Store, sell or otherwise transfer, personal-use cannabis items between cannabis cultivators, wholesalers, or retailers 

 Class 4 Cannabis Distributor: Transport cannabis items in bulk between cannabis cultivators, manufacturers, or retailers within the state of New Jersey  

Class 5 Cannabis Retailer: Purchase personal-use cannabis from licensed cultivators, manufacturers, or wholesalers and sell those items to consumers in a retail store 

Class 6 Cannabis Delivery: Transport a consumer’s purchases of personal-use cannabis and related supplies from the retailer to that consumer 

Conditional license: Begin building out operations for the cultivation, manufacture, dispensing, wholesale, distribution, or delivery of personal-use cannabis while working towards meeting the requirements for a cannabis cultivator, manufacturer, dispensary, wholesaler, distributor, or delivery license 

Summary of the CRC’s Initial Rules for the Personal-Use of Cannabis

Legal weed dispensaries banned in more than 70% of NJ towns. 

Trenton’s statement on passing Cannabis Ordinance. 

National Law Review: What Employers Need to Know

Cognitive Harmony Technologies (CHT) Response to The CRC Ruleset

ACLU-NJ: FAQ’s and analysis of marijuana regulations.

NJ Medicinal Marijuana/Cannabis Program: 

Insurance coverage bills for medical cannabis: Take action with NORML!

S3799 Allows costs of medical cannabis to be reimbursed by Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund, PAAD, Senior Gold and VCCO. Advanced through Senate Health Committee, referred to Senate Budget Committee. Identical bill, A5760 advanced out of Assembly Health Committee; referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee.

A1708 Requires workers' compensation, PIP, and health insurance coverage for the medical use of cannabis under certain circumstances. Passed in Assembly Committees; in Senate Commerce Committee (S3406). Take action with NORML!

ATC’s will be able to include sales of personal use cannabis by submitting municipal approval and a certification to the CRC that they have adequate supply for their patients, and that it will not impact access for patients.

Cannabist ATC opened 8/16/21 adjacent to the Deptford Mall.

Curaleaf’s Bordentown ATC opened 8/27/21, NJ’s 22nd dispensary. 

Still no word on the 24 winning ATC applicants (5 cultivators, 15 dispensaries, and four vertical operators) from the 150 who applied in 2019.

Home cultivation 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.

Sign the petition: Let Patients Grow NJ; Website: Let Patients Grow NJ #JeffsLaw.

NJ Office of Legislative Services (OLS): “There is currently no scheduled return for the legislature, but they will most likely return around October/November.” 

National: 

NORML: Federal: Senate Proposal To End Marijuana Criminalization

"Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act" CMMNJ Comments 

Senators Flooded with Input on Federal Marijuana Legalization Bill.

“The End of Sisley’s Challenge to the DEA” to reschedule marijuana. “So, 50 years of rescheduling petitions aren't enough to exhaust administrative remedies with DEA? A bottomless cesspool of bureaucratic excuses.” CA NORML

Upcoming Events: 

Black Cannabis Equity Initiative (BCEI) and the Capital City Area Black Caucus: “CHALLENGES, & OPPORTUNITIES IN TRENTON” 9/10/21, 3-5PM.

Weedstock, music festival to benefit Delaware NORML, Townsend, DE 9/17-18. (CMMNJ table.)

NJ Cannabis Insider Fall Conference, Carteret Performing Arts Center, Sept. 23. Purchase tickets.

“Medical Marijuana” Zoom meeting with Randi Goldberg’s “Straight Talk” 9/20/21, 11am-noon, Meeting ID: 865 307 0487; Passcode: Str8Talk.

NECANN: New Jersey Cannabis Convention, Showboat Hotel, Atlantic City, 10/2-3/21 Exhibit Hours: Sat: 11am to 5pm; Sun: 10am to 3pm. (CMMNJ table).

ACNA Annual Conference! Oct. 17- 19, 2021, Albuquerque, NM, Register here!

Minorities for Medical Marijuana (M4MM) Sept. Newsletter & Policy Update

CANNADEMIX: Where Cannabis Meets the Community! Middlesex County College October 8, 2021, 3 – 9 PM; Tickets. (CMMNJ table)

Recent Events: 

The New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association’s webinar series: NJCTA Seminar: Dispensary Operations with Ken Wolski.

American Cannabis Nurses Assn: “Cancer and Cannabis in 2021” 8/26/21.

Northeast Leaf Magazine, Sept. 2021: CANNABIS ACTIVIST KEN WOLSKI Inside the Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey

National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) State Medical Marijuana Laws

Cannabis Laws Matter: How to get a New Jersey Micro-license: Part 1; Part 2.

Treasury report: 

Checking: $9655; PayPal: $2,614. Make a tax-deductible donation via PayPal to info@cmmnj.org, or send a check to: CMMNJ, 219 Woodside Ave., Trenton, NJ 08618.

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.

"Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act" Comments

August 31, 2021 

The Honorable Charles E. Schumer 
Majority Leader
U.S. Senate 
 
The Honorable Cory Booker
U.S. Senate 
 
The Honorable Ron Wyden
U.S. Senate

RE:      Medical Provisions in the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act

Dear Leader Schumer and Senators Booker and Wyden: 

Thank you for your continuing leadership on cannabis de-scheduling legalization, as well as on the social justice and equity reforms that play such a critical role in cannabis policy. As you know, cannabis reform is not just about the legalization and thoughtful regulation of marijuana, it’s about principles of American federalism and ensuring that our laboratories of democracy have the opportunity to help shape how cannabis should be regulated in the fifty states. There are currently three dozen state medical marijuana programs serving more than 3,500,000 patients in the United States, rapidly providing treatment plans designed to displace opioid prescriptions, and we are writing to ask for your help in protecting them.

Creating a Pathway for Medicinal Marijuana

While we were elated with much of the draft language in the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, we believe that the bill misses the mark in some key areas by ignoring existing state medical marijuana programs and by failing to recognize state-level advances in medical marijuana. Congress must specifically and intentionally create a path to retain the medical cannabis industry that is critical to patients suffering from chronic pain, cancer, PTSD, depression, and other debilitating conditions.

Since the first state medical marijuana law was enacted in California in 1996, state governments have continuously demonstrated their competency for regulating the emerging medicinal cannabis marketplace. These states have tailored their regulatory regimes to ensure that they balance public health and safety, administrative feasibility, and business operability. Today, increasing numbers of physicians and other qualified providers in states with legal medicinal cannabis programs routinely recommend cannabis for qualifying conditions. Those qualifying conditions are state-specific and can include chronic pain, cancer, PTSD, end-of-life care, depression, anxiety, and other debilitating diseases.

We must specifically and intentionally retain these state medical programs currently serving millions of patients—offering arguably one of the most viable alternatives to opioids. We must also provide states with ample time to create their own medicinal markets, to build on advances in existing medical programs, and to harmonize state regulatory programs across the country, as is practicable. This must all be done deliberately and will take time to develop and implement. This will require a transition period prior to a national marketplace and intentional lawmaking by Congress.

Insurance Coverage

As a first priority, Congress should intentionally and specifically permit coverage by private insurance companies in the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act. Cigna already allows reimbursement for CBD products. While this should flow naturally from de-scheduling, an intentional and specific provision by Congress authorizing this pathway would stave off private litigation risks and Executive Branch overreach through regulation. Congress should also specifically provide for the allowance of HAS/FSA funds to be used for medicinal cannabis. These tax-deductible contributions are already currently being used on alternative care, including acupuncture, aromatherapy, ayurvedic medicine, homeopathy, nutritional counseling, and unregulated traditional Chinese medicine. These provisions are not currently contemplated in the Act, and will take time to promulgate, coordinate, and ultimately administer. Additionally, the industry should be permitted to make substantiated structure/function claims, without premarket review, notwithstanding the fact that cannabis may already be an ingredient in some pharmaceutical drugs. This policy should also be codified in federal law, rather than being left to FDA rulemaking. 

Insurance Reimbursements

A successful transition to federal regulation must also support a clear pathway for insurance reimbursement for medical cannabis. The NIH/NIDA is currently funding a number of efforts to document and enable the successful treatment of patients with pain with cannabinoids in order to reduce their use/overuse of opioids. However, due to the lack of insurance reimbursements, nearly all of these costs are being absorbed by patients. Some states have noticed the pharmacoeconomic advantage that cannabis treatments can provide over existing therapies in specific indications, and their Medicaid programs are evaluating reimbursement for these situations. In addition, many workers compensation programs nationwide are taking similar steps. We therefore request that Congress specifically provide for the allowance of insurance reimbursements for medical marijuana patients in the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act.

Research

Notwithstanding housing the best medical research institutions in the world, Cannabis research in the U.S. severely lags behind other nations. While convincing research on cannabis safety and therapeutic utility of medical cannabis products is being generated in Europe and Israel, federal prohibition in this country obstructs open research into the science of cannabis therapeutics for products that do not have an approved IND, despite millions of Americans currently buying and using medical cannabis routinely. The president has indicated that he would like to see more research, so let’s give it to him. Let’s unleash American scientists and doctors to evaluate and document the myriad benefits of cannabis. This research will take time to get right and we should get this done prior to unleashing interstate commerce.

The Act mandates the comptroller general to issue a report on the societal impact of cannabis legislation within two years after the enactment of this Act. Congress has also provided a mandate to HHS to issue a report related to the public health effects of cannabis with an end-date of 2025. And Congress mandated that the secretary of transportation collect data on highway safety. The research objectives in the bill are critical to protecting public health and safety and will take time to get right.

For the foregoing reasons, we request that Congress incorporate insurance coverage and reimbursements into legislation and allow for a transition period prior to unleashing interstate commerce and imports. This will support medicinal marijuana programs currently serving millions of patients at the state level, and will ensure that we complete research and implement national standards to protect public health and safety.

Sincerely, 

Ken Wolski, RN, MPA
Executive Director
Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc.
219 Woodside Ave.
Trenton, NJ 08618
609.394.2137
ohamkrw@aol.com
www.cmmnj.org

The Board of Directors of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc. endorsed the above letter and became a signatory to it, but did not create the letter.

CMMNJ Public Meeting Agenda for August 10, 2021

CMMNJ Monthly Zoom Meeting Agenda for August 10, 2021, at 7 pm 

Join Zoom Meeting: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81820276843?pwd=cWUvQ3hGSTJKVDR6eE43d0gvZ1RVdz09

Meeting ID: 818 2027 6843; Passcode: 654989

Agenda: 

The Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) meeting on 8/3/21 has been postponed. A new date will be announced. Register to speak here. Comments will be limited to 3 minutes per person; one individual to speak on behalf of a group.

Submit comments in writing to the CRC here to become part of the public record.

The CRC will adopt prioritized (not complete) regulations for the Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act (CREAMMA), by August 22, 2021. The regulations will govern licenses for cannabis cultivators, manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, deliverers, and “microbusinesses” with 10 or fewer employees, and for minority, women, and disabled-veteran owned businesses. CRC meetings were held on 4/12, 4/22, 5/4, 6/1 & 6/13 and can be viewed here. 

Harvest 360: Adult-use licensing has State and municipal components: Application process overview.

NJ Medicinal Marijuana/Cannabis Program: 

Insurance coverage bills for medical cannabis:

S3799  Allows costs of medical cannabis to be reimbursed by Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund, PAAD, Senior Gold and VCCO. Advanced through Senate Health Committee, referred to Senate Budget Committee. Identical bill, A5760 advanced out of Assembly Health Committee; referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee.

A1708 Requires workers' compensation, PIP, and health insurance coverage for the medical use of cannabis under certain circumstances. Passed in Assembly Committees; no action in Senate Commerce Committee (S3406). 

Op Eds: Opposition; and support: "Making case for cannabis to be covered by insurance for care of chronic pain."

Lawrence Twp., NJ to Allow Marijuana Businesses To Operate In Township

In NJ, about one in four municipalities have ordinances barring cannabis-related businesses, according to the state’s League of Municipalities.

"Hosting the cannabis industry in your community" by Ken Wolski, RN, MPA.

"Leo Bridgewater's Zoom Meeting" Leo and Jess Gonzales urge Trenton to opt in to the cannabis trade: Access Code: =WA%L5Qn

Curaleaf’s Bordentown ATC scheduled to open 8/13/21. 

Home cultivation 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.

Sign the petition: Let Patients Grow NJ; Website: Let Patients Grow NJ #JeffsLaw.

“Sen. Singleton signing onto the bill is the right thing to do,” CMMNJ board member and long-time homegrow leader Jo Ann Zito said.

For Many Cannabis Consumers, "Home Is Where the Grow Is."

National: 

50-year war on drugs imprisoned millions of Black Americans.

Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) unveiled their new draft federal marijuana legalization bill on 7/14/21, with the majority leader admitting that “we don’t have the votes necessary at this point.”

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy: “When it comes to decriminalization, I don’t think that there is value to individuals or to society to lock people up for marijuana use.”

Tiki Barber Op-Ed: "It’s time for government to stop restricting scientific research into marijuana."

Upcoming Events: 

Cannabis Scientist Raphael Mechoulam’s 91st birthday is 11/5/21. He is one of the greatest cannabinoid researchers and is still at it in Hebrew University, Jerusalem. 

“Medical Marijuana” Princeton Senior Resource Center, 8/13/21, 11:45 – 1 pm.

American Cannabis Nurses Association: “Cancer and Cannabis in 2021” 8/26/21, 7 - 8 PM, one CEU. Non-Members: $15: CLICK HERE to Register

Profile of CMMNJ’s Ken Wolski in the Sept. Issue of Northeast Leaf Magazine.

NJ Cannabis Insider Fall Conference: Sept. 23

Recent Events: 

2021 Cannabis 100 Power List, a tribute to influential voices in NJ’s long battle to end cannabis prohibition. Seven CMMNJ Board members made the list along with former Board member, Chris Goldstein. Congratulations!

Why medical cannabis needs more nurses: Eloise Theisen, president of the American Cannabis Nurse Association.

NJ CANNABIS INDUSTRY INFO SESSION & JOB FAIR, RVCC, JULY 20 

DFCR Announces Dr. Bryon Adinoff as President

N.J. has dismissed 88K weed cases under new marijuana law. NJ estimates 360,000 cases are eligible. But as many as 1 million may have been arrested for marijuana possession in New Jersey since the early 1990s.

Treasury report: 

Checking: $9655; PayPal: $2,614. Make a tax-deductible donation via PayPal to info@cmmnj.org, or send a check to: CMMNJ, 219 Woodside Ave., Trenton, NJ 08618. 

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.

Hosting the cannabis industry in your community

 

July 13, 2021

To Whom It May Concern:

Thank you for considering hosting a small part of the cannabis industry in your municipality.

I know that any increased access to a previously banned, but now legal substance like marijuana carries with it a certain amount of anxiety. But I assure you that welcoming the legal cannabis industry into your community will be a good thing.

You have only to reach out to the mayors and chiefs of police of the communities that currently house the medical cannabis Alternative Treatment Centers (ATCs). These local officials will assure you that this tightly regulated industry is a positive addition to their communities. The list of New Jersey ATCs is here: https://www.nj.gov/health/medicalmarijuana/alt-treatment-centers/

The fears associated with the legal industry have been proven to be unfounded as this current analysis from the CATO institute reveals: “The Effect of State Marijuana Legalizations: 2021 Update.” https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/effect-state-marijuana-legalizations-2021-update

Just as the therapeutic benefits of cannabis can restore health to an individual, greater access to cannabis can restore health, and add wealth, to a community. 

Please see the Trenton Planning Board’s draft guidelines for welcoming the cannabis industry into a New Jersey community: https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/NJTRENTON/2021/06/25/file_attachments/1864079/Draft%20Ordinance.pdf

Thanks again for keeping an open mind on this issue.,


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

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

CMMNJ July 2021 Monthly Zoom Meeting Agenda

 

CMMNJ Monthly Meeting Agenda for July 13, 2021, 7 pm 

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87364347310?pwd=NTlWVFVXc3FaK1JFejg2QWlhV1hCdz09 

Meeting ID: 873 6434 7310; Passcode: 351638

Agenda: Local elected officials must decide whether they will be among the first to welcome the cannabis industry.

Trenton Planning Board “Special Cannabis Meeting” on June 28; to govern cannabis licensing for businesses in Trenton: draft ordinance

Jersey City Planning Board Unanimously Approves Cannabis Zoning

NJ’s Attorney General has accused four local companies of illegally offering free cannabis “gifts” alongside orders of cookies, chips and other products.

Cognitive Harmony Technologies Accelerator will give $20,000 grants to five minority-run businesses in NJ. To apply for the scholarship, go here by 7/19.

“Make these cannabis jobs actual careers with a living wage, healthcare, dental, vision, vacation days, and of course a safe and secure workplace that has advancement.” Hugh Giordano, UFCW

More N.J. companies no longer test job seekers for weed. Amazon stopped.

Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC)

The CRC will complete the regulations, by August 22, 2021, to license cannabis cultivators, manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, and deliverers. There will also be licenses for “microbusinesses” with 10 or fewer employees, and for minority, women, and disabled-veteran owned businesses. “New Jersey has a potential to be a model state,” CRC Chair Dianna Houenou said. “We want to provide safer products to patients and adult-use consumers, and we want that industry to reflect the diversity in the state.”

The next CRC meeting will be held July 13, 2021 at 6 pm. Register to speak here by July 13 at noon. Comments are limited to 3 minutes per person. Groups should designate one individual to speak on its behalf. You may also submit comments in writing to the CRC here, or email MMPquestions@doh.nj.gov

CRC meetings were held on 4/12, 4/22, 5/4, & 6/1 and can be viewed here. 

NJ MMP: A new bill (S3799) would require the following to cover medical cannabis costs:

• Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund
• Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD) program
• Senior Gold Prescription Discount Program
• Victims of Crime Compensation Office (VCCO)

Senator Declan O’Scanlon’s legislation (S-619) allowing doctors to authorize medical marijuana for eligible patients via telemedicine was signed into law 6/24/21. Dr. Shahid Meer is doing initial certification and recertification for NJ MMP ID cards via telemedicine, with health insurance paying for the visit. See: TeleDocs USA; (609) 890 1050. The complete list of MDs in the MMP is here.

Curaleaf’s Edgewater Park ATC opened 6/25/21. Its cultivation site in Winslow completed its first harvest. “We’ve tripled our footprint in the state,” said Bridgette Fonseca, Curaleaf NJ’s director of dispensary operations. By 2025, Curaleaf aims to do business with 420 organizations from underrepresented communities and contribute $1 million toward the collateral consequences of marijuana-related offenses.

EAZE wants to distribute free cannabis in NJ in their Compassionate Care program. 

A medical marijuana patient is suing his former employer, claiming they terminated his job after he used prescribed cannabis while off the clock.

Home cultivation for patients:

• 5363/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.

Sign the petition: Let Patients Grow NJ; Website: Let Patients Grow NJ #JeffsLaw.

National: 6/22/21: CT Gov. Ned Lamont signs legalization bill into law! 

Legalization laws in CT and VA took effect July 1, 2021 including possession and use for adults. In VA, adults will be able to grow up to four plants per household. 

California State Bill 311, the Compassionate Access to Medical Cannabis Act or Ryan’s Law, would prohibit health care facilities from interfering with a terminally ill patient’s use of medicinal cannabis within the health care facility.

CATO Institute: The Effect of State Marijuana Legalizations: 2021 Update

The absence of significant adverse consequences is especially striking given the sometimes‐​dire predictions made by legalization opponents.

Cannabis Pioneer Series: Ken Wolski: Wolski lectures on marijuana to community groups and healthcare professionals. He provides expert witness testimony in court cases and volunteers as CMMNJ’s executive director. 

Clarence Thomas, one of the Supreme Court's most conservative justices, said federal laws against marijuana’s use or cultivation may no longer make sense.

Criminal penalties for all drug use should end: N.J. Rep. Watson Coleman.

The effort to legalize marijuana in Delaware is dead for the year due to disagreements among lawmakers over social equity funding.

Rick Steves: “The war on marijuana is racist. It's an expensive and counterproductive mistake.” 

LEAFLY’s “Seeds of Change” ranks states on cannabis social equity; NJ is #5.

U.S. legal cannabis sales in 2020 reached $17.5 billion

Upcoming Events: Get Baked Cannabis Baking Tutorial, Baked by the River, schedule. 

NJ Cannabis Insider is hosting a business networking event 7/29, Asbury Park.

Salvation and Social Justice will facilitate a weekend hybrid (virtual and in person) institute of advocacy for young people to understand policy making, 7/23-25.

Recent Events: Hawai’i Medical Cannabis Day Passcode: E@@8pv$8, 6/14/21.

NJ State House Rally, “50th Anniversary of the War on Drugs” 6/17/21.

NJ State House Rally for Home Grow, 6/24/21.

NJ Cannabis Insider’s event, June 8-9. 

SATIVA CROSS: Sativa Cross Podcast, 7/1/21 

Panel discusses critical role of small business in cannabis industry Passcode: njci

Celebrate Independence Day with The Joint of Miami 

Treasury report: Checking: $9711; PayPal: $2,858. Make a tax-deductible donation via PayPal to info@cmmnj.org, or send a check to: 

CMMNJ, 219 Woodside Ave., Trenton, NJ 08618. 

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.

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.

Testimony to the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission June 1, 2021

 Testimony to the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission

June 1, 2021

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?

What products would make medical cannabis easier to take, more effective, and more accessible?

Edible products were approved for New Jersey’s Medicinal Marijuana Program (NJ MMP) patients during the Christie administration, but for minors only(!) Edible products were approved for all NJ MMP patients during the Murphy administration but have never become available through the Alternative Treatment Centers (ATCs). Only lozenges are currently available for sublingual use. Patients and caregivers have been forced to create their own edible cannabis products from the flower purchased at the ATCs. Alternately, edible products are also available on the unregulated black market. 

To assist patients and caregivers, the Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc. (CMMNJ) produced the “Patient Handbook 2015” that contained easy to follow recipes, with photos, that were submitted by three CMMNJ Board members. These recipes included “Making brownies—How to prepare edibles with consistent amounts of THC,” “Cannabis butter: Crockpot small batch cannabutter,” and, “Butter and…salad dressing?” 

CMMNJ also produced a 28-minute YouTube video, “CMMNJ TV with Amanda Hoffman.” CMMNJ Board member Hoffman demonstrated the process for making edible forms of cannabis. The video is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NApjPNDAyyo

Marijuana therapy is highly individualized. The amount that is used each day is determined by what is necessary to control the symptoms of the patient.

New marijuana types have the potential to improve public health and safety. Safety can be addressed by doing exactly what the CRC is now doing—appropriately regulating the production, testing, labeling, packaging, and distribution of cannabis products, including high potency products. 

Any edible, inhaled or topical product of any strength should be allowed as long as it is properly produced, tested, labelled and packaged. 

CMMNJ endorses the labeling recommendations of Doctors for Cannabis Regulation (DFCR). These recommendations can be found at “Setting the Standard for Cannabis Labeling” https://dfcr.org/labeling

Edibles are especially important for patients. Some patients simply cannot use inhaled types of cannabis either because of their medical conditions, or because of their surroundings, or because of their living conditions such as at health care facilities. Other patients may have a cultural prejudice against the inhalation method of drug administration (“No drug is smoked!”)

High potency edibles get a bad reputation when an inexperienced user tries them. Patients must be made aware of the delayed onset of action of edible products along with the prolonged duration of effect compared to the inhaled method of administration. Otherwise, these patients may inadvertently consume more than is necessary for symptom control and become over sedated.  The good news is that no overdose of cannabis has ever produced a fatal result. Dosage levels, generally in 10 mg portions of edible products, should be clearly labelled. Patients who are new to this type of therapy should be instructed to “start low and go slow” with their dosage titration.

On the other hand, patients with high tolerances, or patients with severe medical conditions, or multiple medical conditions, or terminal medical conditions, may need more potent edibles. When tolerance is high, patients may need 50mg or more to feel the desired effects.

In addition, some patients use a combination of edible products for their long-lasting effects while using inhaled cannabis for breakthrough pain or other noxious symptoms. Some patients may need a consistent bioavailability of cannabinoids that can most readily be achieved by edible products. 

Anything that patients need should be available to them. This includes a wide variety of edible products. 

Marijuana is legal and the State of New Jersey has determined that it has medically beneficial uses. It needs to be liberally available to those who are suffering, and who need it, in the widest possible array of products.

The CRC must be flexible in providing approvals as patients, medical personnel or advocacy groups bring issues to it. The CRC is encouraged to provide liberal authorizations as it develops the required regulations, as opposed to the overly restrictive regulations that were adopted for the MMP during the Christie administration.

With concentrates, medical marijuana should be tested more frequently, ideally after each harvest to allay patient concerns about contaminants.

Patients are also looking for Full Extract Cannabis Oil (FECO), suppositories, and sugar-free edibles.

Public health can be improved by making the widest possible variety of products, including all potencies, legally available to patients who require them. 

Should similar products be available to recreational users?

Yes. Public safety can be improved not by banning edibles and other high potency products from the adult use markets, but by regulating the use of these products.

These are products that many New Jersey residents already want and use for their health and happiness. Many so-called recreational, or adult users experience medical benefit from cannabis products for undiagnosed or untreated medical, mental health, or emotional conditions. Patients without health insurance may not be able to afford access to most American health care, including psychiatric care. Other patients may be on the spectrum of some disorder—Anxiety, Bipolar, PTSD, etc.--that negatively impacts the quality of their lives but does not rise to the level of a diagnosable condition. These patients know that cannabis can improve their quality of life, without technically being considered medical marijuana patients. 

Edible and other high potency products are already in common use in the state. To ban them only recreates the very marijuana prohibition that voters overwhelmingly rejected in the November 2020 election.

To deter the unregulated market, the legal market should have all the products the black market does. Ideally, NJ residents should have access to the whole plant, full spectrum concentrates, the leaves, roots, and raw cannabinoids, which are all medicinal.

Of course, as with flower products, the CRC should ensure that such products are sufficiently available to patients before being made available to the adult use market. 

How do high potency types of marijuana impact public health and safety?

Marijuana has been used throughout the world for thousands of years. It was in the U.S. Pharmacopeia for almost 100 years before it was banned. It was not banned for medical or scientific reasons. It was banned after a campaign of misinformation. 

In the 1930’s prohibitionists associated marijuana with insanity, criminality and death. In the 1960’s prohibitionists said that marijuana damaged the immune system and made men grow female breasts. In the 1990’s prohibitionists said marijuana was 10 times stronger than the marijuana of the 1960’s and that now it was REALLY dangerous. (Meanwhile, they would not allow you to have the weaker stuff, either.) 

Now prohibitionists are saying there are new dangers associated with high potency marijuana, including mental illness. This is one of the most studied of all cannabis issues, going back to the 19th Century India Hemp Drug Commission report. That report, and most subsequent reports, found no causal connection between marijuana use and mental illness. Just think about it. The rates of schizophrenia in the adult population are stable at about 2% worldwide. The rate is the same in countries like Canada, that has one of the highest percentages of marijuana users, and countries like Japan that has one of the lowest percentages of marijuana users. Moreover, the rate of mental illness was the same in the U.S. before and after the 1960’s when there was an explosion of marijuana use.

It is true that marijuana can precipitate a psychotic episode in a person who is predisposed to mental illness. But so can alcohol and other substances and events in the person’s life. That is not the same thing as being a cause of mental illness.

No, the reality is that marijuana can help many people who suffer from mental illness. That is why there is an increased rate of marijuana use in this population. I am an RN, and I worked in psychiatric hospitals for over five years. It is no surprise to me that patients with mental illness seek out alternatives to currently prescribed anti-psychotic drugs that are often ineffective, often have undesirable side effects, and are often expensive to boot.

Much of the marijuana of today has greatly increased potency when compared to the marijuana of the 1960’s. However, it is a groundless fear that there are new risks associated with this stronger marijuana. 

I know from personal experience that the East and West coasts of the United States were saturated with high-grade marijuana by the late 1960’s. (I attended colleges and universities in California and New Jersey from 1967 through 1976 and during that time I earned three undergraduate degrees—Associate in Arts, Bachelor of Arts, and Associate in Applied Science.) 

On college campuses, there was Columbian Gold, Panama Red, Thai Sticks, various Jamaican strains, and high-grade Mexican marijuana from the state of Michoacán, to name just a few, that were the equal in THC potency to many of the strains available today. 

In addition, there was a wide variety of hashish (hash) on the campuses. Hash was available from Morocco, Lebanon, and Afghanistan. Hash, which is a collection of the resin of the cannabis (marijuana) plant, typically had a THC content of 15% - 20% which made it stronger than most of the marijuana that was available then and equal to some of the stronger marijuana available now. 

Hash was desirable precisely because of its potency. A supply of hash would last longer than a supply of marijuana because less was required to produce the desired effect. Also, fewer toxins were introduced into the body because less smoking was required. 

A commonly observed phenomenon in the 1960’s was, “Good pot drives out bad pot.” That is, when marijuana of superior quality was introduced in an area, the more inferior marijuana was less sought after and hence became less available. The same is true today. 

The explosion of sophisticated cultivation techniques has greatly increased the potency and variety of homegrown marijuana. Now, U.S. homegrown is the equal to any of the legendary international strains of the late 1960’s. This represents progress and the maturity of the U.S. marijuana market. It does not represent the introduction of a new product or a new threat. 

With legalization and regulation of marijuana, consumers can have available to them products that are laboratory tested with accurately labeled contents, including cannabinoids and terpenes. Consumers will know exactly what strength they are getting in order to use the substance more safely.

I am also including a brief from the U.S. Cannabis Council on “THC Cap and Ban.” The USCC says capping and banning cannabis products:

⦁ Is not supported by scientific consensus as effective public health policy;

⦁ Have been unanimously rejected by states and state regulators;

⦁ Have negative unintended consequences in criminal justice reform;

⦁ Are pharmaceutically and therapeutically undesirable; and,

⦁ Decrease public safety and increase harms.

Thank you for the opportunity to address this commission.

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

http://cmmnj.blogspot.com/

CMMNJ TV, process for making edible forms of cannabis, with Amanda Hoffman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NApjPNDAyyo 

Doctors for Cannabis Regulation, “Setting the Standard for Cannabis Labeling” https://dfcr.org/labeling/

U.S. Cannabis Council “THC Cap-and-Ban Policy Brief” http://www.uscannabiscouncil.org/