Monday, January 10, 2022

CMMNJ Year End Report for 2021


 CMMNJ Year End Report 2021

New Jersey Highlight of 2021: Cannabis legalization

In 2021, New Jersey became the 13th US state to fully legalize marijuana.

The three laws signed by Gov. Murphy on February 22, 2021:

  • A21, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement, Assistance and Marketplace Modernization Act, legalizes regulatory cannabis.
  • A1897 decriminalizes possession and use of small amounts of marijuana and hashish; also establishes more lenient penalties for distribution.
  • S3454 ends the involvement of minors with the criminal justice system over marijuana.

"As of this moment, New Jersey’s broken and indefensible marijuana laws which permanently stained the records of many residents and short-circuited their futures, and which disproportionately hurt communities of color and failed the meaning of justice at every level, social or otherwise — are no more,” Gov. Murphy said, upon signing the three bills into law.

“I’m thrilled, really!” said Ken Wolski, executive director of CMMNJ. In 2014, CMMNJ’s Board of Directors endorsed legalization of marijuana since legalization is the best way to get this essential medicine to the most people. Legalization is also an important step in undoing the harms to society that are caused by our current policy of drug prohibition.

The NJ Attorney General’s Office issued guidance to law enforcement agencies following the enactment of the February 22 laws. In 2018 NJ ranked third in the nation in total marijuana arrests and second in per capita arrests. The bill allows the adult use and possession of marijuana to take effect immediately.

It’s no longer against state law to have 6 ounces or less of marijuana or about three-fifths of an ounce of hashish. It’s not a crime to be under the influence of marijuana, 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.

Marijuana legalization won the support of voters in 562 of the 565 municipalities in New Jersey. How did your town vote on NJ marijuana legalization? 

The New Jersey Judiciary has expunged more than 362,000 marijuana cases from court records since the Marijuana Decriminalization Law became effective July 1. 

Expungement of Certain Marijuana or Hashish Cases: How to file a Motion with the Court 

Procedures for Requests for Judicial Review of Certain Marijuana Cases 

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

Insurance Coverage for Medical Cannabis

Insurance coverage bills for medical cannabis in the New Jersey Legislature:

  • 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. Take action with NORML!
  • 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). Take action with NORML!

When passed into law, these bills will reduce healthcare costs in the state. Cannabis stabilizes multiple conditions in individuals. Greater access to cannabis therapy will result in fewer hospitalizations, fewer surgical procedures, and fewer emergency room visits.

The New Jersey State Nurses Association/Institute for Nursing (NJSNA/IFN)  Supports Insurance Bills for Medical Cannabis.

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

Home Cultivation

CMMNJ Board members Jo Anne Zito and Jim Miller continued to work for a home cultivation program throughout 2021. They encouraged people to sign the petition: Let Patients Grow NJ. By the end of the year, over 3,200 had signed. This campaign includes a web site, Let Patients Grow NJ #JeffsLaw. See Facebook: #THEYSHALLGROW

CMMNJ Board member Peter Rosenfeld proposed model legislation for a home cultivation program.

The home grow bills in the NJ legislature in 2021 include:

  • 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.

Gov. Murphy says he’s open to giving adults the right to cultivate marijuana for personal use, but the bills stalled after introduction in the legislature. 

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

Cannabis Regulatory Commission 

The Constitutional Amendment, approved by voters on 11/3/20, to legalize cannabis for adults in New Jersey took effect on 1/1/21. Per the ballot question’s Interpretive Statement: “The Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) (will) oversee the new adult cannabis market…The scope of the commission’s new authority (will) be detailed in laws enacted by the Legislature.” More info at: SCR183/ACR840.

In February 2021, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin named ex-Marine Sam Delgado to the CRC, joining and Krista Nash, a South Jersey social worker. The Department of Health’s Maria Del Cid was also appointed. Finally, Charles Barker, a project specialist and cannabis advisor for U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, joined Dianna Houenou, Chair, & Jeff Brown, Executive Director to complete the 6-member CRC.

The CRC will be developing the regulations for the new laws. The CRC will license, and oversee the licenses for, six different sectors of the cannabis 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. 

“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.”

In March 2021, State officials can restart the process of awarding licenses for two dozen medical marijuana dispensaries, after an appeals court Thursday lifted a 2019 order that halted the process when some rejected applicants objected. The CRC, on 12/7/21, approved 30 new licenses to companies who will sell medicinal marijuana, 10 each in the central, northern, and southern regions of the state. This was part of the 2019 RFA, delayed by legal challenges. The licenses are provisional. Awardees have up to 12 months from the date of the award to become fully permitted.

The CRC announced it would open the adult use application process to marijuana growers, processors and testing labs on Dec. 15. It will open applications for adult us dispensaries on March 15. There are no deadlines to file applications; the CRC will accept them on a rolling basis. Cultivation licenses have a cap of 37 new licenses between Feb. 2021 and Feb. 2023. 

The CRC began to accept applications for adult use cannabis licenses on 12/15/21. CRC executive director Jeff Brown said, “We can officially mark the launch of the state’s recreational cannabis industry. Getting cultivators, manufacturers, and testing labs licensed and operating will set the framework and establish supply for retailers who will start licensing in March 2022.” The highest priority will be given to “Social Equity Businesses, diversely-owned businesses, microbusinesses, and conditional license applicants” when being reviewed. (Applicants who were previously convicted for cannabis crimes, live in “economically disadvantaged areas,” or fit the criteria of minority, women, or disabled-veteran owned businesses.)

There are fears that recreational pot sales could deprive medical patients. CMMNJ plans frequent contact with the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association (NJCTA) to ensure access to medical cannabis is the priority in NJ. The NJCTA said the state’s ATC's have enough cannabis to meet both patient demand and that of a 21-and-older market. 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. The CRC must certify that ATCs have adequate supply to meet patient demand before expanding to the adult use market.

There are currently 23 dispensaries serving an average of about 5,300 patients per retail site and 121,100 registered patients statewide. The twenty-three (23) Alternative Treatment Centers (ATC’s) in NJ currently dispensing medical cannabis at the end of 2021 include:

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

CMMNJ was again invited to submit oral and written testimony to the CRC on edibles on 11-9-21.

Standardizing cannabis labeling will protect consumers and boost confidence: Dr. David Nathan, founder & board president, Doctors For Cannabis Regulation.

Physician assistants (PAs) and advanced practice nurses (APNs) are now eligible to enroll patients in the medical cannabis program and write recommendations for it, the CRC announced on 10/8/21. Currently, there are 1,311 doctors who can authorize patients to use medical cannabis. 

The CRC voted on 10/15/21 to issue 10 new licenses for medical marijuana cultivators and four new licenses for vertically integrated businesses, which grow, manufacture and sell medical marijuana at dispensaries. 

Hillview Med won a cultivator license in the 2019 medical cannabis license Request for Application (RFA). They are poised to be the first solo medical cannabis cultivator in New Jersey to open. CMMNJ has accepted a seat on Hillview’s Patient Advocacy Board.

CRC meetings were held on 4/12, 4/22, 5/4, 6/1, 6/13, 8/19, 9/14, 11/9, & 12/7/21, and can be viewed here. 

The 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

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

The CRC Recreational Cannabis Statewide Webinar, October 13.

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

Legislation (S-619) allowing doctors to authorize medical marijuana for eligible patients via telemedicine was signed into law 6/24/21. The complete list of MDs in the MMP is here.

The NJ tax on medical marijuana will be 0% on sales made on and after July 1, 2022.

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

Ten Things You Can Do to Prepare for the Upcoming Release of New Jersey Recreational Cannabis License Applications

National issues

New York legalized recreational marijuana, on 3/31/21, immediately allowing anyone over the age of 21 to possess up to three ounces. 

In New Mexico and Virginia, both governors signed bills to legalize cannabis and expunge cannabis-related convictions. Now 18 states have approved cannabis legalization for adults.

6/22/21: Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed the legalization bill into law! 

Legalization laws in Connecticut and Virginia 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. 

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

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. On 9/29/21, the governor of California signed Ryan’s Law.

The U.S. Supreme Court was asked to decide if employers can be forced to reimburse workers for the cost of medical cannabis used to treat job-related injuries. State courts have come to differing conclusions on the issue. 

CATO Institute: The Effect of State Marijuana Legalizations: 2021 Update: no significant adverse consequences despite the sometimes‐​dire predictions made by legalization opponents.

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

A New Mexico judge ruled that medical marijuana patients cannot be punished for using cannabis while incarcerated. Are we just one lawsuit away from judges insisting on access to cannabis for qualified patients in NJ prisons? Some years ago, courts ruled that NJ HIV/AIDS inmates were entitled to community standards of care, after they sued to obtain expensive anti-retroviral therapy. 

NORML: Federal: Senate Proposal To End Marijuana Criminalization; "Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act" CMMNJ Comments; Senators Flooded with Input on Federal Marijuana Legalization Bill.

Patients Out of Time has created a coalition of organizations and individuals to demand the end of federal cannabis prohibition with their resolution to De-Schedule Cannabis. Please share. 

The American Medical Association asked a court to overturn the Medical Marijuana vote in Mississippi. The AMA, @AmerMedicalAssn, harms patients by denying them medical marijuana, in violation of the Hippocratic oath: "First do no harm." The Mississippi Supreme Court overturned the medical cannabis law voters approved on 11/2020. 

Tell President Biden: It’s Time to Shut Down the Drug Czar’s Office

Philadelphia: Marijuana Treatment Admissions Drop By 80% (since decrim).

Illinois sold more than $1 billion worth of legal marijuana products in 2020.

Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts: Marijuana Legalization Will ‘Kill Your Kids’. 

ABOLISH THE DRUG WAR COALITION is a call to action to end the drug war. “We denounce the criminal justice approach to what should be a public health issue…The drug war in NJ is a war on Black and Brown communities.”

Americans for Safe Access “No Patient Left Behind” campaign to address issues patients face around the country regarding safe access to medical cannabis.

Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said they would work together for comprehensive cannabis reform in Congress.

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

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

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

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy: “There is (no) 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."

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

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

Delaware Legalization Panel: Myth vs. Fact, 4/8/21.

2021 CMMNJ Publications

CMMNJ Monthly Agendas and Minutes also contain links to published reports by and about CMMNJ Board members and friends.  For the CMMNJ Agendas and Minutes, see the CMMNJ blog. May 16, 2021 was the 12th anniversary of the CMMNJ blog.

CMMNJ Meeting Agenda for December 7, 2021

Medical marijuana should be covered by health insurance. What’s the hold up? Also found here.

Telemedicine & the Bona Fide Relationship in the NJ MCP

CMMNJ November 9, 2021 Meeting Agenda

CMMNJ Meeting Agenda for October 12, 2021

CMMNJ Public Meeting Agenda for September 14, 2021

"Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act" CMMNJ Comments 

CMMNJ Public Meeting Agenda for August 3, 2021

Hosting the cannabis industry in your community, 7/15/21.

CMMNJ Public Meeting Agenda for July 6, 2021

CMMNJ Public Meeting Agenda for June 8, 2021

CMMNJ Public Meeting Agenda May 11, 2021

CMMNJ Public Meeting Agenda for April 13, 2021

CMMNJ Public Meeting Agenda for March 9, 2021

CMMNJ Public Meeting Agenda for February 9, 2021

CMMNJ Public Meeting Agenda for January 12, 2021

CMMNJ Year End Report 2020

“Adult Use Cannabis in New Jersey” NJ Nurse & Institute for Nursing Newsletter, April 2021, Pg. 11. 

CMMNJ events and stories in 2021

NJ Cannabis Insider: 21 to watch in the N.J. cannabis space in 2021: #6. Coalition for Medical Marijuana - New Jersey, the community organization that championed the law long before it gained traction in Trenton, will continue to bang the drum for home-grow. Their fight is gaining converts and attention.

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. 

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

Medical marijuana patients just want to grow their own weed, Zito said. Why won’t lawmakers allow it?

“We have some of the most expensive medical marijuana in the country,” Wolski said on CBSN New York. “So many patients simply cannot afford this medicine.”

Dr. David Nathan: N.J. should allow medical patients to grow their own marijuana 

NJ marijuana advocates huddle on next steps, including home grow.

Jo Anne Zito Op Ed: For Medical Cannabis Patients, the Situation is Dire

“Medical Marijuana” Princeton Senior Resource Center, 8/13/21.

Live with Neve talks about marijuana in NJ with Jo Ann Zito.

Black Cannabis Equity Initiative (BCEI) & the CANNABIS INDUSTRY: "SOCIAL EQUITY CANNABIS LEGALIZATION IN NJ ZOOM EVENT" 1/27/21, 2/19/21, 3/17/21, 4/19/21, 5/29/21, 9/10/21.

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

Mercer County Community College, NJ Cannabis Certification course on May 3. New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association (NJCTA) will provide six scholarships. Also offered at Raritan Valley CC. 

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

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

Sativa Cross Podcast, NJ State House, 5/27/21.

Hedger House Luncheon, Chatsworth, NJ, 5/26/21.

It’s 4/20, a day to celebrate cannabis and cannabis culture. NJ marijuana activists celebrated the first 4:20 on 4/20 of the state's new era of legal weed.

International Medical Cannabis Patients Coalition Mtng, the 2nd of each month, 9 am, via Zoom.

The Rowan University Institute for Cannabis Research, Policy, and Workforce Development will encompass the business, law, medicine, chemistry, and pharmacology departments.

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

Blazing Ahead Toward Cannabis Justice: An NJUMR Celebration.

CMMNJ's table at the New Brunswick train station, mornings M-T-W, Nov. and Dec.

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. 

“Medical Marijuana” Zoom meeting with Randi Goldberg’s “Straight Talk” 9/20/21.

NECANN: New Jersey Cannabis Convention, Showboat Hotel, Atlantic City, 10/2-3/21 

CANNADEMIX: Cannabis Meets the Community! Middlesex County College October 8, 2021.

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

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

Real Cannabis Entrepreneurs Oct. 15-16 Newark N.J. In-person or Virtual.

Minorities for Medical Marijuana: (M4MM) September & October Newsletter & Policy Update 

New Jersey CannaBusiness Association: Friday Lunch & Learn with cannabis leaders. 10/8. 

SHORE GROW: It's a Family AF fair, Ocean, NJ, 9/25/21.

NJ Cannabis Insider: Career Fair & Business Expo Nov. 17 at Stockton U.

Real Cannabis Entrepreneur (RCE) conference held in Newark, 10/15 -16.

Thanks to CMMNJ Volunteers

In recognition of extraordinary service to our community, CMMNJ was awarded a 2021 “NJ State Governor's Jefferson Award” in the Volunteer Group category. Honorees achieve measurable community impact and represent outstanding acts of public service, without the expectation of recognition or compensations. Recipients demonstrate unique vision, dedication and tenacity of heroic proportion and serve as inspiration for others. 

On behalf of the Board of Directors of CMMNJ, I would like to thank all our supporters for their tireless efforts and contributions throughout the year.  As we are an all-volunteer organization, we are nothing without you!  Special thanks go to:

  • volunteer administrators who moderate the many discussions on our Facebook pages;
  • activists who spoke out at community meetings to dispel marijuana stigmas;
  • activists who contacted the media and elected officials for marijuana reform;
  • special “Thank you” to all who contributed food, clothing, and cash to the Thanksgiving Giveaway where Sativa Cross, CMMNJ, & UFCW distributed donated food, clothing, and personal hygiene items to the homeless and poor of Trenton at the Trenton State House Annex on 11/25/21. 

CMMNJ 2021 Board Update

Frequent Board discussions were conducted by group emails and messages in addition to formal Board meetings during 2021. 

At the close of the year, the CMMNJ Board consists of the following 10 people: 

  1. Kenneth R. Wolski, RN, MPA; 
  2. James Miller;  
  3. Edward R. Hannaman, Esq.; 
  4. Nick Mellis; 
  5. Peter Rosenfeld; 
  6. Larry Vargo;
  7. Amanda Hoffman;
  8. Jo Anne Zito; 
  9. Gaetano Lardieri; 
  10. Michael Brennan; and, CMMNJ’s Honorary Board Member is Allan Marain, Esq.

In the 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!

Treasury Report

In 2021 CMMNJ had expenditures of $7,727 and income of $9,850 for a gain this year of $2,123. CMMNJ finished the year with a checking account balance of $10,867 and a PayPal account balance of $942 for a grand total of $11,809.

In April, CMMNJ received donations of $3953 from CURALEAF NJ II INC., 111 Coolidge Ave., Bellmawr, NJ 08031, and $1000 from Ed Forchion, NJWeedman’s Joint, 322 E State St, Trenton, New Jersey 08608. Both Curaleaf and NJWeedman’s Joint allowed CMMNJ to have a small display of our free, colorful, all-hemp bracelets, where their patrons could make donations to CMMNJ. We are deeply grateful to these organizations for their support.

CMMNJ still has almost 50,000 all hemp wristbands and necklaces that were donated to our organization. The multicolored bands were made in Romania. The suggested price is $1 apiece.  Wholesale prices are available.

CMMNJ is grateful for the generous financial support of all who contributed to our mission. This includes those who contributed anonymously through Network for Good. Many people also generously donated their time, their professional and personal services, office space, supplies, etc. to CMMNJ.

CMMNJ Looking Ahead

  • Allow registered patients in the NJ MMP to grow a limited supply of cannabis.
  • Provide insurance coverage for medical cannabis.
  • Fully implement the Jake Honig law.
  • Ensure that the adult use program brings affordable, high-quality marijuana in an appropriately regulated, socially just way, without negatively impacting patient access to medical cannabis. See CMMNJ’s complete Adult-use Cannabis Recommendations. 
  • CMMNJ renews its annual call for national clinical trials of marijuana.
  • Deschedule marijuana completely, both in New Jersey and nationally
  • CMMNJ looks forward to four more years of cannabis reform with Phil Murphy's reelection as governor of New Jersey. 

Schedule of CMMNJ 2022 meetings

CMMNJ’s public meetings for 2022 will continue to be held on the second Tuesday of each month from 7 - 9 pm via Zoom. All are welcome at these meetings and there is never a charge to attend. 

In 2021, CMMNJ held twelve free public meetings on the second Tuesday of each month from 7 - 9 PM. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the meetings were conducted via Zoom conferences. Participants must assume their comments at these meetings were recorded.

CMMNJ sent the agendas for these meetings via e-mail to over 1000 supporters each month and posted the agendas on Facebook, Twitter and on the CMMNJ blog. To receive the agendas, sign up here. 

We extend our best wishes for everyone’s safety and health during this time of pandemic and social distancing. 

Follow CMMNJ

The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey, Inc. (CMMNJ) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) educational organization, incorporated in the State of New Jersey.  The mission of CMMNJ is to educate the public about medical marijuana.  The goal of CMMNJ is to have safe and legal access to medical marijuana for New Jersey patients. 

March 10, 2021 was the 18th anniversary of the founding of CMMNJ at our first public event at the White Dog Café in Philadelphia in 2003. Cheryl Miller, the multiple sclerosis patient, early NJ medicinal marijuana activist, and wife of CMMNJ co-founder Jim Miller, died on June 7, 2003, three months after our first event. The eleventh anniversary of New Jersey’s Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act becoming law was on 1-18-21. The ninth anniversary of legal sales of marijuana in New Jersey was on 12-6-21. 

Website: Coalition for Medical Marijuana - New Jersey

Facebook: Friends of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana-NJ   

or, Coalition for Medical Marijuana - New Jersey

Twitter: @CMM_NJ

CMMNJ blog: https://cmmnj.blogspot.com/


Ken Wolski, RN, MPA, Executive Director

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

219 Woodside Ave., Trenton, NJ 08618  

(609) 394-2137 

ohamkrw@aol.com; 

kenwolski@gmail.com


January 7, 2022


Tuesday, January 4, 2022

CMMNJ Public Meeting Agenda for Jan. 11, 2022

CMMNJ Agenda for January 11, 2022 at 7 pm

Join Zoom Meeting: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81353346845?pwd=L3RjOTNScmJZWDI5VURXYlZHUk91Zz09

Meeting ID: 813 5334 6845

Passcode: 819287

Agenda: 

January 11th 2022 marks the start of the new, two-year legislative session in New Jersey. All bills from the previous session that did not pass into law will have to be re-introduced and given new numbers. Barring last minute action, these bills include:  

Insurance coverage bills for medical cannabis: 

  • S3799/A5760: Medical cannabis costs to be reimbursed by Senior Gold Prescription Discount Program, Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD), Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund, and Criminal Injuries Compensation Act of 1971. 
  • A1708/S3406: Requires workers' compensation, PIP, and health insurance coverage for the medical use of cannabis. 

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.

The New Jersey State Assembly is set to reorganize on January 11 at the War Memorial, when fourteen newly elected Assembly members will take the oath for the first time. Governor Phil Murphy plans to move forward on an in-person inauguration on January 18.

Jo Anne Zito of CMMNJ believes that the new year will be a good one for the state’s medical marijuana patients, equity, and also for social justice.  

The Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC), on 12/7/21, approved 30 new licenses to sell medicinal marijuana, 10 each in the central, northern, and southern regions of the state. This was part of the 2019 RFA, delayed by legal challenges. There are now 23 dispensaries serving an average of about 5,300 patients per retail site and 121,100 registered patients statewide. The licenses are provisional. Awardees have up to 12 months from the date of the award to become fully permitted.

The CRC began to accept applications for recreational cannabis licenses on 12/15/21. Within the first four hours, 500 people had submitted their applications, with 635 accounts created by the end of the day. Jeff Brown said, “We can officially mark the launch of the state’s recreational cannabis industry. Getting cultivators, manufacturers, and testing labs licensed and operating will set the framework and establish supply for retailers who will start licensing in March 2022.” The highest priority will be given to “Social Equity Businesses, diversely-owned businesses, microbusinesses, and conditional license applicants” when being reviewed. (Applicants who were previously convicted for cannabis crimes, live in “economically disadvantaged areas,” or fit the criteria of minority, women, or disabled-veteran owned businesses.)

There are fears that recreational pot sales could deprive medical patients. CMMNJ plans frequent contact with the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association (NJCTA) to ensure access to medical cannabis is the priority in NJ.

Upcoming CRC Meetings:

National: 

The U.S. Supreme Court was asked to decide if employers can be forced to reimburse workers for the cost of medical cannabis used to treat job-related injuries. State courts have come to differing conclusions on the issue. 

Cannabis decriminalization is reducing the racial disparity in arrests for possession.

Retail price differences in cannabis flowers across 14 states

Upcoming Events: 

Cannabusiness Info Session, 1/6/22, 6 p.m.

An Afternoon of Cannabis with Heady NJ! S. Hackensack, 1/9/22, 12–5 PM.

Recent Events: 

Tabling at the New Brunswick train station.

Treasury report: 

Checking: $10,867; PayPal: $942. 

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 

CMMNJ is a proud winner of the 2021 NJ State Governor's Jefferson Award.

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


Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Telemedicine & the Bona Fide Relationship in the NJ MCP


 

Telemedicine & the Bona Fide Relationship in the New Jersey Medical Cannabis Program (NJ MCP)

The only requirement for an NJ MCP provider is to have a current DEA license and a physical practice in NJ. If multistate operators connect NJ patients to NJ physicians by Telemedicine, they are quite within their rights. It is not a violation of the MCP. If the physician/provider does not have a physical practice in NJ, then that is a violation of the program rules. However, the distinction that only NJ physicians may admit NJ residents into the NJ MCP is arbitrary and unnecessary. Patients in NJ are free to cross the river into NY and PA to obtain medical treatment from providers in those states. The prescriptions, and other treatments, from out of state providers are perfectly legal here in NJ. There is nothing special about NJ physicians that make only them eligible to admit patients into the NJ MCP. 

Only about 1000 NJ physicians have bothered to join the MCP out of the 28,000 or so in the state.  Even many of the physicians who joined the MCP are not committed to marijuana therapy, but they do it out of courtesy for their patients. There is precious little education about the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) in the physician community. When the Department of Health appointed the Medical Marijuana Review Panel, they published the curriculum vitae of the members. None of the members on that panel had any documented education, publications, or experience with cannabis, or the ECS. Admittedly, the Review Panel did an excellent job in the end, but their lack of education and experience going into that task was concerning.

Patients have told me some of the most shocking statements from NJ physicians. For example, numerous physicians have belittled, laughed at, or simply ignored patients’ requests for cannabis therapy. One NJ physician told an impoverished, dying Hospice patient that if he wants medical marijuana, he should find another physician.

The bona fide relationship that is necessary in the MCP between a patient and a provider is an artificial construct. The original medical marijuana bill said that all a physician had to do to admit a patient into the MCP was attest that the patient had a condition that qualified to join the program. This could even be done by a review of the patient’s records, without the physician seeing the patient at all.

The bona fide patient relationship is phony. When I go to see a doctor for medication or treatment, whether it's a GP or a specialist, I do not have to see that doctor more than once for treatment. I certainly do not have to see a doctor four times, or for any arbitrary length of time, before I can be treated. Moreover, with medical marijuana, these physician visits are almost exclusively cash out of pocket for the patient. A great many patients have been impoverished by their illnesses or injuries. Spending $400 a year on physician visits, in cash, just for the opportunity to purchase a medical marijuana card, and then purchase very expensive medical marijuana, certainly strains the resources of many patients, and denies access to many more.

Many patients were greatly relieved when visits for maintaining an ID card in the MCP were reduced, at the discretion of the provider, to once a year.

Please join my call to require education on the ECS for all health care providers in NJ as a condition for continued licensure. 

I also hope you will support the bills currently in the NJ Legislature that create insurance coverage for medical cannabis, S3799/A5760 and A1708/S3406.

Cannabis Regulatory Commission Testimony, 12/7/21

Ken Wolski, RN, MPA
Executive Director, Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc.


CMMNJ December 14, 2021 Public Meeting Agenda

CMMNJ Monthly Meeting Agenda for December 14, 2021 at 7 pm

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86051547719?pwd=RW5kT2VmNy9JbzJJMFAvQ0hIQzFlUT09

Meeting ID: 860 5154 7719

Passcode: 314195

Agenda: 

Congratulations to Phil Murphy on his reelection as governor of New Jersey. We can look forward to four more years of cannabis reform in our state.

In recognition of extraordinary service to our community, CMMNJ was awarded a 2021 NJ State Governor's Jefferson Award in the Volunteer Group category. Honorees achieve measurable community impact and represent outstanding acts of public service, without the expectation of recognition or compensations. Recipients demonstrate unique vision, dedication and tenacity of heroic proportion and serve as inspiration for others. 

Thank you to the Board and to all the CMMNJ volunteers who made this possible.

Insurance coverage bills for medical cannabis: 

Judith Schmidt, the CEO of the NJ State Nurses Association/Institute for Nursing said on 11/24/21 that the NJSNA Board supports the following bills: 

S3799/A5760: Medical cannabis costs to be reimbursed by Senior Gold Prescription Discount Program, Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD), Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund, and Criminal Injuries Compensation Act of 1971. Both bills advanced through Senate & Assembly Health Committees and were referred to Budget and Appropriations Committees. Take action with NORML!

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

When passed into law, these bills will reduce healthcare costs in the state. Cannabis stabilizes multiple conditions in individuals. Greater access to cannabis therapy will result in fewer hospitalizations, fewer surgical procedures, and fewer emergency room visits.

NJ has among the highest prices in the country, an ounce of medical marijuana costs up to $500. In Michigan, an ounce costs about $265.

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.

This issue will be tackled in NJ's next legislative session rather than in the lame duck session.

The Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC): 

The CRC announced it would open the application process to marijuana growers, processors and testing labs on Dec. 15. It will open applications for dispensaries on March 15. There are no deadlines to file applications; the CRC will accept them on a rolling basis. Cultivation licenses have a cap of 37 new licenses between Feb. 2021 and Feb. 2023.

The CRC also discussed how to handle the sales of edibles that resemble food – and how to make sure that if they do allow it, the items sold will be safe. Ken Wolski said the amount and type of marijuana needed for therapeutic reasons is highly individualized and that anything a patient needs should be available to them.

“Any form of edibles should be permitted as long as the regulatory procedures are followed. There should be no arbitrary exclusions placed on cannabis products,” Wolski said. “Public safety can be improved not by banning edibles and other high-potency products but by regulating the use of these products.”

NJ CRC Releases Webinar on Adult-use Cannabis License Applications

Upcoming CRC Meeting: December 7, 2021 at 6p.m. Register to speak here, Deadline to register to speak will be December 7 at noon. You may also submit comments in writing to the Commission here. 

National: 

Five myths about marijuana

NOVA DOES CANNABIS

Upcoming Events: 

CMMNJ's table at the New Brunswick train station. Volunteers needed to help, mornings Mon., Tues., and Wed. through December.

Recent Events: 

Annual Thanksgiving Giveaway, State House, Trenton. 

NJ Cannabis Insider: Career Fair & Business Expo Nov. 17 at Stockton U.

Treasury report: 

Checking: $10,885; PayPal: $944. 

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

CMMNJ's GivingTuesday fundraiser raised $130. Many thanks to all who donated!

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.


Wednesday, November 24, 2021

NJSNA Supports Insurance Bills for Medical Cannabis


NJSNA Supports Insurance Bills for Medical Cannabis

Judith Schmidt, the Chief Executive Officer of the New Jersey State Nurses Association/Institute for Nursing (NJSNA/IFN) said today that the NJSNA Board supports the following bills to provide insurance coverage for medical cannabis: 

S3799/A5760: Medical cannabis costs to be reimbursed by Senior Gold Prescription Discount Program, Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD), Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund, and Criminal Injuries Compensation Act of 1971; and, 

A1708/S3406: Requires workers' compensation, PIP, and health insurance coverage for the medical use of cannabis. 

These bills are currently advancing through Senate and Assembly committees. New Jersey has some of the most expensive medical cannabis in the country, with an ounce of premium buds costing between $400-$500. This makes the medical benefits of cannabis unavailable to many residents who have been impoverished by their illnesses or injuries. We urge New Jersey legislators to support these inroads into insurance coverage, so that the poor can also have access to the therapeutic benefits of cannabis.

When passed into law, these bills will reduce healthcare costs in the state. Cannabis stabilizes multiple conditions in individuals. Greater access to cannabis therapy will result in fewer hospitalizations, fewer surgical procedures, and fewer emergency room visits. Please join with the NJSNA/IFN in support of these bills.

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

November 24, 2021

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Testimony to the NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission 11-9-21


Testimony to the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission

By: Ken Wolski, RN, MPA

Executive Director, Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc.

November 9, 2021

The Commission is interested in hearing the Coalition’s thoughts on the following:

1. How can the Commission best protect public health while allowing for a greater variety of cannabis items?
2. How can food safety requirements work together with cannabis safety regulations?
3. What forms of edibles should or should not be permitted?
4. Are some edibles appropriate for the medicinal cannabis market and not the recreational cannabis market?
5. What important information should consumers and patients be aware of if they are interested in purchasing edible cannabis items?

1. The CRC can best protect public health while allowing for a greater variety of cannabis items by doing exactly what it is doing now--developing regulations for edible cannabis items including the: 

⦁ Production; 
⦁ Testing; 
⦁ Labeling; 
⦁ Packaging; and,
⦁ Distribution of these items.

This will ensure that cannabis items are safely produced, periodically tested for cannabinoid content and contaminants, accurately labeled because of these tests, securely packaged with appropriate warnings, and distributed to adults from licensed vendors. 

The CRC should quickly adopt Dosing and Administration guidelines and promulgate these guidelines to the cannabis consuming community and the healthcare community in order to increase the safety and appropriate use of edible products. In fact, the “Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act" was signed into law over two years ago, requiring these guidelines that have yet to be adopted in New Jersey: 
     “g.    The commission shall establish, by regulation, curricula for health care practitioners…:
     (1)   The curriculum for health care practitioners shall be designed to assist practitioners in counseling patients with regard to the quantity, dosing, and administration of medical cannabis as shall be appropriate to treat the patient’s qualifying medical condition.  Health care practitioners shall complete the curriculum as a condition of authorizing patients for the medical use of cannabis.”

Educational programs on the Endocannabinoid System for medical providers in New Jersey (now including physicians, Advanced Practice Nurses, and Physician Assistants) are required. Dosing and Administration guidelines and Endocannabinoid educational programs are readily available. 

For example, a company called “Cannabis Expertise” offers 2-hour and 4-hour Medical Cannabis educational courses with nationally accredited AMA credits at https://cannabisexpertise.com/. These modules were the basis for healthcare professionals to be certified as recommenders in the states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. The organization trained healthcare professionals from 38 states and 9 countries. The dosing recommendations in the training have been developed by physicians who kept track of every patient’s profile and reaction to cannabis.

The New Jersey Department of Health’s Executive Order 6 Report on 3/23/2018: 

DEVELOPMENT OF PROVIDER EDUCATION PROGRAM AND DOSING GUIDELINES With the expansion of authorized debilitating conditions, the Department recognizes the need to provide education and guidance to providers. To that end, the Department is exploring the creation of an education program for all physicians, with focus on the endocannabinoid system. The Department plans to leverage the expertise of the Medicinal Marijuana Review Panel to oversee the curriculum development for this program. This education program will serve to create best practices for the safe and effective administration of medicinal marijuana to the expanded universe of qualifying patients. In conjunction with the provider education program, there is also a need to develop standardized dosing and administrative protocols for medicinal marijuana products, including information on expected effects, side effects, and adverse effects. In addition to the provider education component above, the Department will charge the Medicinal Marijuana Review Panel, in an advisory role, to oversee the study of the efficacy of medicinal marijuana in treating New Jersey Medicinal Marijuana Program patients. This research will inform dosing and administration protocols to create best practices and improve health outcomes for qualifying patients. The Department believes that this refocusing of the Medicinal Marijuana Review Panel will make the best use of the expertise that the Panel provides to create best practices to inform health care providers and improve health outcomes for qualifying patients. https://www.state.nj.us/health/medicalmarijuana/documents/EO6Report_Final.pdf

Marijuana is mainstream medicine. The Medical Cannabis program in New Jersey is expanding rapidly, and the adult use industry will soon expose even more residents to the therapeutic benefits of cannabis. As more and more people experience these benefits, health care professionals in the state must become comfortable incorporating cannabis use into the therapeutic regimens of their patients. This can be done most efficiently by requiring education on the Endocannabinoid System for all health care professionals in the state of New Jersey as a condition for continued licensure in the state.

The Jake Honig Act also called for “Institutional caregivers” in the state. These caregivers are employees of a health care facility who are authorized to assist registered qualifying patients, who are patients or residents of the facility, with the medical use of cannabis, including obtaining medical cannabis and assisting these patients with the administration of medical cannabis. Currently, most health care facilities forbid the use of medical cannabis in the facility. This is a dangerous and potentially fatal situation. A patient who suffers from seizures may be admitted to a health care facility and then denied access to the only medicine that controls their seizures--medical cannabis. I was part of a team that tried unsuccessfully to save a patient in Status Epilepticus, an unrelenting seizure condition, at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital in the early 1970’s. It was a tragic experience that I have never forgotten. It should not happen again.

In addition to the expanding medical cannabis program and the anticipated increase in cannabis users through the adult use program, it is my sincere hope that the state will recognize its responsibility to the institutionalized patients in New Jersey. For 25 years, I have worked as a registered nurse (RN) in the state prison system and at a state psychiatric hospital. I know that many patients in these institutions qualify for medical cannabis and could benefit greatly from it. The staff there is already trained to administer, account for, and evaluate the effect of controlled substances. There is no reason to withhold this important medical therapy from these patients. In fact, courts have determined that inmates are entitled to “community standards” of healthcare. Edible medical cannabis products will improve health care in state institutions, group homes, hospices, etc., and will reduce the costs of running these programs.

2. Cannabis safety regulations must work in conjunction with food safety requirements to ensure consumer safety in using edible cannabis products. 

According to the NJ Department of Health: 
A person or entity that engages in the production, distribution, and/or sale of food to consumers shall:
1. Have a Cottage Food Operator Permit; or
2. Comply with applicable laws to retail food establishments.

The Food Innovation Center at Rutgers University supports established early-stage entrepreneurs and existing food companies from concept to commercialization. For more information, see: https://foodinnovation.rutgers.edu/

Additionally, the sale of edible cannabis products should require a license from the CRC to ensure compliance with production, testing, labeling, packaging, and distribution regulations.

3. Any form of edibles should be permitted as long as the regulatory procedures are followed in terms of their safe production, periodic testing, accurate labelling, secure packaging, and appropriate distribution. There should be no arbitrary exclusions placed on cannabis products.

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

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 living conditions.

The State of New Jersey has determined that cannabis has medically beneficial uses. It needs to be liberally available to those who are suffering due to lack of access to it. 

Dietary restrictions should also be taken into consideration for edible items. For example, sugarless products should be available (and not necessarily with a "sugar-free" sweetener alternative). Vegan products and hypoallergenic dietary edibles should also be available.

Public health and public safety can be improved by making the widest possible variety of products, including all potencies, legally available to patients who require them. This will diminish reliance on the unregulated market.

4. Edible products that are appropriate for the medicinal cannabis market are also appropriate for the recreational cannabis market.

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 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, 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 them 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, all of which are used medicinally.

5. Important information that consumers and patients should be aware of when purchasing edible cannabis items include: 
⦁ Total dosage of THC per package; 
⦁ Strength of THC per unit dosage; 
⦁ Special dietary contents if included (e.g., sugar-free, vegan, hypoallergenic); 
⦁ Expiration date and storage recommendations; and,
⦁ Warning that the package contains cannabis (See https://www.dfcr.org/universal-cannabis-symbol); 

Thank you for the opportunity to address this commission. I would like to congratulate the CRC for the mission that it has taken on, to create this new cannabis industry in the state with social justice at its core. I want to acknowledge the progress you have made in fulfilling this mission and note that you are doing all this while managing the Medical Cannabis Program.

Having worked in NJ state government for 25 years, I am aware of some of the challenges that you face.

I would also like to congratulate Phil Murphy on his reelection as governor of New Jersey. I'm confident that we can look forward to four more years of continued cannabis reform in this state, and that means a great deal to me and to all the people in New Jersey.

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/

November 9, 2021


Wednesday, November 3, 2021

CMMNJ Monthly Meeting Agenda for November 9, 2021 at 7 pm


CMMNJ Monthly Meeting Agenda for Nov. 9, 2021 at 7 pm

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88573601556?pwd=bHZJbVQ1eXNvc0JENktJNklWcnNLdz09

Meeting ID: 885 7360 1556

Passcode: 717193

Agenda: 

NJ gubernatorial election: Incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy made cannabis legalization a key part of his platform when he first ran in 2017. Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli has said he supports decriminalization but not legalization. Ciattarelli believes that NJ voters were misled on the marijuana referendum. May the best man win.

NJ Medicinal Marijuana/Cannabis Program:

Insurance coverage bills for medical cannabis: 

S3799/A5760: Medical cannabis costs to be reimbursed by Senior Gold Prescription Discount Program, Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD), Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund, and Criminal Injuries Compensation Act of 1971. Both bills advanced through Senate & Assembly Health Committees and were referred to Budget and Appropriations Committees. Take action with NORML!

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

Home cultivation for patients:

Governor Murphy says he’s open to giving adults the right to cultivate marijuana for personal use.

Legal weed is real in NJ — but so should be home cultivation | Opinion

  • 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.

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

The Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC): 

Physician assistants (PAs) and advanced practice nurses (APNs) are now eligible to enroll patients in the medical cannabis program and write recommendations for it the CRC announced on 10/8/21. PAs and APNs must be licensed and in good standing and must have a physical practice located in NJ. Currently, there are 1,311 doctors who can authorize patients to use medical cannabis. The state has more than 117,000 registered patients and 23 open dispensaries.

The CRC voted on 10/15/21 to issue 10 new licenses for medical marijuana cultivators and four new licenses for vertically integrated businesses, which grow, manufacture and sell medical marijuana at dispensaries. 

NJ CRC Holds Webinar for Budding Adult-use Cannabis Entrepreneurs

Hillview Med won a cultivator license in the 2019 medical cannabis license Request for Application (RFA). They are poised to be the first solo medical cannabis cultivator in New Jersey to open. CMMNJ has accepted a seat on Hillview’s Patient Advocacy Board.

Possessing marijuana is legal in N.J. but these ‘gray’ market operators got busted: CMMNJ said it “does not condone illegal activity, even as we recognize and respect civil disobedience in the face of unjust laws.”

The Lantern has launched the New Jersey Cannabis Project, an incubator in NJ to assist Social Equity applicants with the skills, resources, and knowledge to succeed in the industry.

The New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association said the state’s alternative treatment centers have enough cannabis to meet both patient demand and that of a 21-and-older market. The CRC will set a start date for legal sales, and has a statutory deadline of mid-February to do so. But there’s speculation they might miss it — the CRC missed a deadline to start accepting applications for new cannabis business licenses last month.

‘Big cannabis can be good cannabis’: Q&A with Curaleaf CEO Joe Bayern

Upcoming CRC Meetings:

  • November 9, 2021 at 6p.m.
  • December 7, 2021 at 6p.m.

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

  1. Cultivator
  2. Manufacturer
  3. Distributor
  4. Delivery
  5. Retailer
  6. Wholesaler

Ten Things You Can Do to Prepare for the Upcoming Release of New Jersey Recreational Cannabis License Applications

Expungement of Certain Marijuana or Hashish Cases: How to file a Motion with the Court to Review Your Case; FAQs.

Procedures for Requests for Judicial Review of Certain Marijuana Cases 

The New Jersey Judiciary has expunged more than 362,000 marijuana cases from court records since the Marijuana Decriminalization Law became effective July 1.

National: 

The New York Cannabis Control Board advanced regulations on 10/21/21 allowing medical cannabis to be grown at home. After a 60-day comment period, it will go into effect. 

The legal Marijuana Market size was valued at $20.73B in 2020 and is projected to reach $111.31B by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.43% from 2021 to 2028. The development of medical marijuana as an alternative to traditional medicine and the rise in social acceptance of marijuana are the key factors that have boosted the growth of the Legal Marijuana Market.

Leo Bridgewater, founder of BridgeH20 in Trenton said, “Not having access to SAFE Banking is equivalent to having both of our hands tied behind our back.” U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, the leader in the fight to end the federal ban on cannabis, insists that it be done in combination with social justice provisions to help the individuals and communities ravaged by the war on drugs. 

The Maryland Medical Cannabis Program has a survey for seniors 65 years and older to complete to ensure that the educational content developed meets their needs. Just click, and it should take about 3-5 minutes:  CannabizMD Survey.

Upcoming Events: 

NJ Cannabis Insider: Career Fair & Business Expo Nov. 17 at Stockton U.

The 25th Anniversary of Prop. 215 conference, San Francisco, November 5.

CMMNJ's table at the New Brunswick train station. Volunteers needed to help, mornings Mon., Tues. and Wed. through December.

Recent Events: 

The Library of New Jersey Inc. Expungement Clinic, West Orange, 11/23/21.

Rally at Philadelphia City Hall to mark seven years of Philly decrim, 10/20/21. 

The CRC Recreational Cannabis Statewide Webinar, October 13.

Real Cannabis Entrepreneur (RCE) conference held in Newark, 10/15 -16.

NJCBA: Friday Lunch & Learn with cannabis industry leaders. Free. 10/8, Noon. 

Treasury report: 

Checking: $11,148; PayPal: $454. 

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.