CMMNJ Monthly Meeting Agenda for April 12, 2022

CMMNJ Monthly Meeting Agenda for April 12, 2022 at 7 pm

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83077209125?pwd=ZmpRaUd4blRickxJODZVMDNqbEhadz09

Meeting ID: 830 7720 9125

Passcode: 058904

Agenda: 

The ’22-‘23 NJ Legislative Session started on 1/11/22. These lawmakers will deal with cannabis bills: Senate Chamber Seating and Assembly Chamber Seating.

Senate Health Committee unanimously passed Medical Cannabis Insurance bill S313 at its hearing on 3/10/22: Costs of medical cannabis to be reimbursed by Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund, PAAD, Senior Gold and VCCO. CMMNJ Testimony in Support of S313. 

Other Medical Cannabis Insurance bills:

• S309: Requires workers' compensation, PIP, and health insurance coverage for the medical use of cannabis under certain circumstances.
• S782: Establishes program to subsidize price of medical cannabis for registered patients enrolled in Medicaid or NJ Family Care programs.
• A389: Creates protections for insurers and insurance producers engaging in business of insurance in connection with cannabis-related businesses.

Bennabis Health offers a membership plan to Medicinal Marijuana Patients in NJ. For an introductory fee of $120 per year, members receive a 15% discount on medical cannabis at Network Dispensaries!

The Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) on March 15 began accepting applications from those who wish to open dispensaries to sell marijuana to anyone over 21. By 4 p.m., 172 applications had been filed. On March 24 the CRC approved 68 conditional licenses for recreational growers and manufacturers, but tabled a vote on allowing existing ATCs to begin selling marijuana to recreational customers. Sen. Nick Scutari called for hearings into NJ legal weed delays.

The CRC will hold a special meeting on April 11, at 1 p.m. where they will consider certifications for expanded ATCs. More info. Delays not unusual?

Emerging Social Equity Concerns in New Jersey.

Testimony to the NJ CRC by: Ken Wolski, RN, March 24, 2022, (oral testimony at 1:40:03) on: 

1. Medical conditions that should be added to the Medicinal Cannabis Program
2. Patient education/counseling needs
3. Medicinal product expiration dates

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to federally legalize marijuana (the MORE Act). The vote (220-204) fell along party lines with only three Republicans supporting the measure and two Democrats opposing it. The bill heads to the Senate, where Majority Leader Schumer (D-NY) will file his own cannabis bill.

The U.S. Senate voted to expand research into cannabis to see if there are any medical benefit…Marijuana could be a way to combat the opioid epidemic.  

Workplace: In Hunt v. Matthews plaintiff alleges that the employer refused to hire him after a pre-employment drug screen had a positive THC result and he disclosed his status as a licensed medical marijuana patient.

“Cannabis workers will be pursuing union representation not only in NJ, but around the nation:” Hugh Giordano, UFCW Local 360.

Home cultivation bills:

• S342/A997: Authorizes home cultivation of medical cannabis.
• A1422: Legalizes possession of six or fewer marijuana plants, subject to enactment of legislation legalizing marijuana for personal use.
• A3657/S353: Legalizes growing up to six marijuana plants for personal use, and up to 10 plants for medical use, by persons aged 21 or older.

Stockton U. Cannabis Job Fair and Business Expo

Growing Equity: Healing from Prohibition in Princeton, Chris Goldstein

New Jersey CannaBusiness Association (NJCBA) Lunch and Learn 4/1/22, Michael Turner provided a Policy Update. NJCBA Lunch and Learn Playlist.

Trenton, NJ State House Demonstration with Sativa Cross, April 20, 2022, 11 am.

Treasury report: 

Checking: $9,395; PayPal: $31. 

Make a tax-deductible donation via PayPal to info@cmmnj.org, or send a check to: 

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

Many thanks to Curaleaf! They have the CMMNJ hemp bracelets available for patrons to purchase at all three of their NJ dispensaries—Bellmawr, Bordentown and Edgewater Park!

Thanks to Board member Michael Brennan for his CMMNJ birthday fundraiser! 

More info: 

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

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

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

Senate Health Committee Testimony in Support of S313: insurance coverage for medical marijuana

Testimony to the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee

In support of S313: Authorizes insurance coverage for medical marijuana

March 10, 2022

Insurance coverage for medical cannabis will have profoundly positive effects. It will greatly increase the number of patients who can use this therapeutic modality, it will lower healthcare costs in the state, and it will produce a healthier New Jersey.

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 pass S313, so that the poor can also have access to the therapeutic benefits of cannabis.

When passed into law, this bill will reduce healthcare costs in the state. Cannabis stabilizes multiple conditions in individuals. Greater access to cannabis therapy will result in fewer emergency room visits, fewer hospitalizations, and fewer surgical procedures. A study released in February 2020 showed a 6.7% decline in workers compensation claim activity where states have approved medical marijuana.

Fears of the federal government’s involvement in this issue are unfounded. Congress has forbidden the Department of Justice to interfere with state medical marijuana laws. Please pass S313 into law so that more state residents here can enjoy the multiple benefits of cannabis therapy. Thank you.

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

Attachments (3): Resume of Ken Wolski, RN

“Medical marijuana should be covered by health insurance. What’s the hold up?” K. Wolski, 2021.

“Study links lower comp frequency to medical marijuana laws,” Louise Esola, Feb. 10, 2020

The Coalition for Medical Marijuana—New Jersey, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization whose mission is to educate the public about medical marijuana. 

CRC Testimony March 24, 2022

Testimony to the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission

By: Ken Wolski, RN, MPA

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

March 24, 2022

I appreciate the opportunity to make public comments on: 

1. Medical conditions that should be considered for the Medicinal Cannabis Program

2. Patient education/counseling needs

3. Medicinal product expiration dates

Medical conditions that should be considered for the Medicinal Cannabis Program

I urge the Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) to allow anyone with prescriptive privileges in New Jersey, and an office in New Jersey, to recommend cannabis therapy for ANY condition that the prescriber feels may be helped by medical cannabis.

Leave this issue up to the physician, the Advanced Practice Nurse, or the Physician’s Assistant to act in the best interest of the patient.

The state of New Jersey has already approved numerous medical conditions as qualifying for cannabis therapy. Therefore, cannabis should be allowed to be recommended “off label” for any other condition, as is the case with prescription pharmaceuticals. Once a drug is approved for use by the FDA, that drug may be used “off label” for other conditions by prescribers.

Adding individual conditions to the Medicinal Cannabis Program is time-consuming and inefficient. The Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act (CUMMA) passed into law in January 2010 with very limited conditions that qualified for marijuana therapy. It wasn't until September 2016—over six years later--that the first additional condition was added. This was done by the New Jersey Legislature, after the DOH refused to act on CMMNJ’s request. That condition was post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD was added after a vigorous campaign by the Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey and local veterans. 

It wasn't until October of 2017--nearly eight full years after CUMMA passed into law--that 43 additional petitions were approved for cannabis therapy.

Also, consider the case of Rare and Orphan diseases. A Rare disease is one that affects fewer than 200,000 Americans. An Orphan disease is one whose treatment is not considered profitable by the pharmaceutical industry to develop. There are over 7,000 Rare and Orphan diseases that affect between 25 million and 30 million Americans. In New Jersey, somewhere between 500,000 and 900,000 residents suffer from Rare and Orphan diseases. These diseases often cause great difficulty in proper diagnosis and treatment. Over 95% of Rare disease patients lack FDA approved treatment. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and Tourette Syndrome are two of these diseases, and they both qualify for marijuana therapy in New Jersey, but the latter took nearly eight years to qualify.

Around 2009, a woman called me and told me her son suffered from one of these Rare diseases called Friedreich's ataxia, a neurological condition that, among other things, affected his ability to walk. The woman told me her son was helped tremendously by medical marijuana, but at the time she risked arrest and imprisonment for giving her son this treatment. Friedreich's ataxia is still not a qualifying condition for marijuana therapy in New Jersey. 

The discovery of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) about 25 years ago provides the scientific basis for how cannabis can help with so many diseases, symptoms, and medical conditions. The ECS consists partly of a series of receptors throughout the entire human body for the components of marijuana--the cannabinoids. Our own body produces substances—endocannabinoids--that are identical to phytocannabinoids, or the cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. The purpose of the ECS is to restore homeostasis, or balance, to the mind and body. Medical cannabis can help where there is a deficiency in the production of the natural endocannabinoids. ECS researchers say that this system may play a role in all disease processes.

New Jersey needs to stop taking baby steps with cannabis therapy. It must begin taking robust measures. Allowing for any condition that a prescriber recommends is the appropriate way to proceed with additional qualifying conditions.

However, it really doesn't matter what condition qualifies for cannabis therapy if a patient cannot get it because of their living situation.

Three days ago I received a phone call from a woman who told me about her 90-year-old father who is living in an assisted living facility in central New Jersey. 

This woman’s father suffers from chronic pain, and he is on opiates and cortisone injections. Her father's doctor recommended medical marijuana for him. So, the daughter got a caregiver card from the state’s Medicinal Cannabis Program and went to an Alternative Treatment Center. She spent $400 to purchase medical cannabis oil for her father. But the assisted living facility staff told her that she could not even bring the medical cannabis into the facility, let alone give it to her father. The director of the facility said their lawyers told him they could not have medical marijuana in their facility because they receive federal funds, and this would place those funds in jeopardy. 

This patient, and many patients like him, continue to suffer needlessly by being deprived of the appropriate physician-recommended medicine due to fears that the federal government will interfere with this state's medical marijuana program.

However, Congress has forbidden the Department of Justice to spend any money interfering with medical marijuana programs in any of the over three dozen such programs in the United States. The US Attorney General affirmed that they will not do so, and there has not been a single instance of this happening in recent years in any of the states with medical marijuana programs.

The CRC needs to reassure all facilities that house medical marijuana patients, and that receive federal funds, that they are not at risk of federal interference with New Jersey’s medical marijuana program.

The 2019 “Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act" called for immediate implementation of “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 for a condition that is unrelated to the seizure condition. Then, when the patient is denied access to the only medicine that controls their seizures--medical cannabis—the result can be fatal.

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 state institutions. I know that many patients in these institutions qualify for medical cannabis and could benefit greatly from it. The staff there is 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 in New Jersey’s prison system are entitled to “community standards” of healthcare. Edible and topical medical cannabis products will improve health care in state institutions, group homes, hospices, etc., and will reduce the costs of running these programs.

Patient education/counseling needs

The best way to ensure the appropriate education and counseling of medical cannabis patient in New Jersey is to ensure that the educators and counselors are themselves appropriately educated and trained. 

As I testified at a previous CRC meeting: 

The CRC should quickly adopt cannabis Dosing and Administration guidelines and educational programs on the Endocannabinoid System. The CRC must promulgate these guidelines and programs to the cannabis consuming community and to the healthcare community to increase the safety and appropriate use of cannabis products. 

In fact, the Jake Honig Act required these guidelines, but they 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. 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 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: 

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. 

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 ECS for all health care professionals in the state of New Jersey as a condition for continued licensure in the state.

Medicinal product expiration dates

I previously testified to the CRC on information that consumers and patients should be aware of when purchasing edible cannabis items, including: 

⦁ Warning that the package contains cannabis; 

⦁ Total dosage of THC per package; 

⦁ Strength of THC per unit dosage; 

⦁ Expiration date and storage recommendations; and,

⦁ Special dietary contents if included (e.g., sugar-free, vegan, hypoallergenic).

Regarding expiration dates, proper processing and proper storage of cannabis products appear to be the most important thing in prolonging shelf life. This will ensure potency of medical cannabis products for a year or more.

Proper processing and drying of the product in the first place is essential in prolonging shelf life. 

Marijuana in the form of dried flower does not expire. Unlike food or prescription medication, there is no date in which this form of marijuana will be hazardous to consume. However, the potency and effects can change over time.

Here are some tips for proper cannabis storage:

Do’s:

⦁ Store marijuana flower in an airtight container

⦁ Keep marijuana in a cool location

⦁ Protect your marijuana from any exposure to light

⦁ Use your edibles by their use-by date

Dont's:

⦁ Store marijuana in a freezer or refrigerator

⦁ Leave marijuana outside of a storage container

⦁ Leave in an open container

⦁ Store marijuana in a hot location

Proper processing and storage of cannabis products appears to be more important than an arbitrary expiration date. Perhaps the “Best If Used By” date is more appropriate.

Edibles, on the other hand, can go bad the same way that food does. Because edibles are food products that are infused with cannabis, it is best to pay attention to the expiration date and consume accordingly. 

As for products such as vape pens, cartridges, or tinctures, it is recommended that you use them within one year of purchase. 

While FDA standards for other botanicals exist, the FDA is silent on the issue of expiration dates for medical cannabis.

Thank you again for the opportunity to address the CRC. And again, I want to thank the CRC for the mission that it has taken on, to create this new cannabis industry with social justice at its core and dedicated to repairing the damage that has been done to individuals and communities by the War on Drugs. 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. Well done, CRC!

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/

March 24, 2022

E.O. #6: https://www.state.nj.us/health/medicalmarijuana/documents/EO6Report_Final.pdf

Ohio Exp. Dates: https://www.ohiomarijuanacard.com/post/can-marijuana-go-bad-proper-storage-tips-for-medical-marijuana

DFCR THC symbol: https://www.dfcr.org/universal-cannabis-symbol

Cannabis Expertise: https://cannabisexpertise.com/

CMMNJ Meeting Agenda for Feb. 8, 2022

CMMNJ Monthly Meeting Agenda for February 8, 2022 at 7 pm

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86883909071

Meeting ID: 868 8390 9071

Agenda: 

January 11th 2022 marked the start of the 2022-2023 New Jersey Legislative Session. The following lawmakers will deal with newly introduced and reintroduced cannabis bills: Senate Chamber Seating and Assembly Chamber Seating.

Insurance bills: 

S313: Allows costs of medical cannabis to be reimbursed by Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund, PAAD, Senior Gold and VCCO. 

S309: Requires workers' compensation, PIP, and health insurance coverage for the medical use of cannabis under certain circumstances.

S782: Establishes program to subsidize purchase price of medical cannabis for registered qualifying patients enrolled in Medicaid or NJ FamilyCare programs.

A389: Creates certain protections for insurers and insurance producers engaging in business of insurance in connection with cannabis-related businesses.

Home cultivation bills:

S342/A997: Authorizes home cultivation of medical cannabis.

A1422: Legalizes possession of six or fewer marijuana plants, subject to enactment of legislation legalizing marijuana or cannabis for personal use.

S353: Legalizes growing or possessing up to six marijuana plants for personal recreational use, and up to 10 plants for personal medical use, by persons 21 or older.

Tax Issues:

ACR51: Proposes constitutional amendment to dedicate tax revenue from sale of recreational marijuana for property tax relief.

ACR52: Proposes constitutional amendment to dedicate tax revenue from legal sale of recreational marijuana for mental health, addiction recovery and drug rehabilitation.

A969/S253: Exempts from sales and use tax sales of medical marijuana.

S876: Provides medical cannabis is not subject to State sales tax.

S340/A1676: Decouples State tax provisions from federal prohibition on cannabis business deductions, but only for businesses with less than $15 million of gross receipts.

A533: Allows certain microbusiness cannabis licensees to accelerate depreciation of property under corporation business and gross income taxes.

Employment issues:

A1830: Establishes protection from adverse employment action for authorized medical cannabis patients.

A890: Provides employer and employee protections pursuant to the use of legalized cannabis items.

Miscellaneous:

A197: Authorizes medical marijuana for treatment of substance use disorder; authorizes all patients to be dispensed medical marijuana in edible form.

A915: Applies ethics and conflicts-of-interest standards for casino industry regulators and participants to regulators of and participants in legalized marijuana marketplace.

S521: Expressly authorizes medical cannabis patients under 18 years of age to have up to four designated caregivers.

S642: Removes criminal liability for law enforcement officers who have encounters with underage persons for possession of alcohol or cannabis unless civil rights are violated.

AJR16: Establishes task force on cannabis related traffic fatalities.

A785: Requires New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education include content on risks of cannabis.

A1354: Clarifies prohibition on smoking of cannabis in public places.

A1978: Provides that defendant who participated in diversion program for certain marijuana offenses on prior occasion may again participate under certain circumstances.

A1684: Directs CRC to adopt regulations concerning labeling, marketing, and sale of cannabidiol and products containing cannabidiol; prohibits sale of cannabidiol to minors.

The Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) Upcoming Meetings:

Thursday, February 24, 1 p.m.

Thursday, March 24, 1 p.m.

Tuesday, May 24, 1 p.m.

Thursday, June 23, 1 p.m.

Thursday, July 28, 1 p.m.

Thursday, September 22, 1 p.m.

Thursday, October 20, 1 p.m.

Thursday, December 8, 1 p.m.

Register to speak here. Submit comments in writing to the Commission here. 

Treasury report: 

Checking: $10,937; PayPal: $231. 

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

Coalition for Medical Marijuana-New Jersey web site: http://www.cmmnj.org/

Twitter: @CMM_NJ

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

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:

• Columbia Care in Vineland, 
• Ascend Wellness, in Montclair and Rochelle Park, 
• The Botanist in Egg Harbor, Williamstown, & the Atlantic City Boardwalk, 
• Garden State Dispensary in Woodbridge, Eatontown, and Union Township,
• Breakwater in Cranbury, 
• The Cannabist in Deptford,
• Curaleaf in Bellmawr, Bordentown, and Burlington, 
• Harmony in Secaucus, 
• Rise in Paterson, Bloomfield, and Paramus,
• Zen Leaf in Elizabeth, Lawrence Township, and Neptune
• Apothecarium in Phillipsburg and Maplewood. 

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

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:

• Friday, January 7, 1 p.m. Register to speak here by: 1/7/22, 9 a.m.
• Thursday, January 27, 1 p.m.
• Thursday, February 24, 1 p.m.
• You may also submit comments in writing to the Commission here. 

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 

• 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 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.