CMMNJ Monthly Zoom
Meeting Agenda for October 14, 2025 at 7 pm
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This is a free, open, non-judgmental space for individuals to express their opinions and thoughts on current events and issues on medical marijuana.
Agenda: New Jersey Issues:
The NJ Governor candidates are Democrat Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11) who is
pro-cannabis, and Republican Jack Ciattarelli with more mixed views. Be sure to
register to vote by October 14th, and vote on November 4th: Welcome to NJ Online Voter Registration
website.
NECANN NJ 2025, the largest B2B cannabis convention on
the East Coast, took place at the Atlantic City Convention Center on 9/5-6/2025.
The event brought over 200 licensed operators, policy makers, investors, and advocates
from NJ’s cannabis industry. Thanks to CMMNJ volunteers for helping at
Booth 710!
Shore Grow Hydro hosted an event at their store in
Oakhurst, NJ to raise money for CMMNJ on 8/16/25. “We’re
focused on advocating for home cultivation rights, insurance coverage for medical cannabis, and
hospital and institutional access,” Wolski
said.
The Smoke Signal
SHOWCASING CANNABIS-POSITIVE RESTAURANTS AND BUSINESSES in South Jersey
TOKE OR TREAT IN THE GARDEN STATE
CMMNJ ad on page 5 of the October issue: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/October%202025.pdf
The “Health Fair” at the Center for Modern Aging Princeton featured CMMNJ’s presentation, “Seniors and Medical Marijuana” on 9/25/25. Ask The Green Nurse: Cannabis Nursing For Senior Care; Honoring the Aging Endocannabinoid System
Marvin’s Garden Dispensary is soon to open in
A.C. and will honor our veterans.
Contact: Barbie Simmons, Store Mgr., 417-224-8920, barbie@redoakeht.com
NJ Senator Scutari’s bill S4154, “Establishes crime of
selling or purchasing marijuana from unlicensed businesses." Sign NORML's
S4154 action alert.
Let Advanced Practice Nurses Recommend
Medical Cannabis: NORML Petition
The Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC):
Next meeting: December 11, 2025.
Register to speak
here
by 12/9/25 at 5 p.m. Submit comments in
writing by
12/12/25 at 5 p.m.
Watch on Zoom or on
YouTube
Full recordings,
slides of public meetings, and upcoming meeting dates are available on the CRC public meeting
page.
CRC: Your
guide to cannabis consumption areas
CRC Leadership CRC is down to
three commissioners, Dianna Houenou, Amelia Mapp, and Krista G. Nash. Other leaders.
Medicinal Cannabis
Program Participation (as of 9/15/2025)
- Total
patients: 55,513
- Caregivers:
3,738
- Doctors:
1,549
NJ legal cannabis sales (medicinal
and adults use) topped $1
billion in 2024.
Federal Drug Policy Reform:
More seniors are using cannabis than ever before to alleviate pain, insomnia, and other chronic conditions. Between 2021 and 2023, cannabis use among Americans aged 65 and older increased by 46%, according to a study in JAMA Internal Medicine.
An 800-patient study on back pain by a German drugmaker is the latest evidence of the therapeutic properties of cannabis, which remains illegal under U.S. federal law.
Upcoming events:
Department of Labor & Workforce Development NJ
Cannabis Industry Partnership Program, Oct 7, 2025 06:30
PM, Zoom.
CMMNJ
will table at Ewing Community
Fest,
at The College of New Jersey, Sat., October 18, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
(rain or shine); Volunteers?
2nd Annual NYS Medical Cannabis Symposium: Cannabinoids in Clinical Practice
Hosted by the New York State Office of Cannabis Management & Northwell Health
Thursday, November 6 • 3:00-8:00 PM: Pre-Symposium Events
Friday, November 7 • 7:00-5:00 PM: Full Day Symposium
Uniondale, New York https://cannabis.ny.gov/symposium
Join ASA’s Fall 2025 Member Meeting, 10/8 at 8 pm, to review this year’s progress on key campaigns, share updates on ASA’s long-term strategic plan, and preview events ahead. This meeting is exclusive to ASA members. Become a member today: Donate $35 to become a member! [Check membership status here].
NJCBA: The Policy Pipeline, 10/21/25, 6-9 pm 144 W. State St., Trenton (fee)
Society
of Cannabis Clinicians (SCC) 3rd Annual
Medical Cannabis Conference,
Metropolitan State University of Denver, October 24– October 25. Guy speaking.
PhilaDelic, UPENN psychedelic conference, Jordan Medical Education Center, 3400 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, 11/22/25, 9-6 pm. Free virtual tickets.
CMMNJ’s ongoing goals:
Insurance bills: Press
release: NJSNA supports insurance for medicinal cannabis
·
S1944: Costs
of medical cannabis to be reimbursed by Catastrophic Illness in Children
Relief Fund, PAAD, Senior Gold and VCCO.
·
S1943/A4371:
Requires workers’
compensation, PIP, and health insurance coverage.
·
A898/ S2828: Subsidize medical cannabis in Medicaid or NJ Family
Care.
Home cultivation bills: Website: https://www.letpatientsgrownj.com/
Petition: End the Blockade on NJ Senate bill S1393; it has
bipartisan co-sponsors, but no committee hearing scheduled yet. Sign NORML’s
S1393 Action Alert.
·
S1393/A846: Authorizes home cultivation of medical cannabis.
·
S1985/A3867: Legalizes six plants for personal use and 10 plants
for medical
Hospital and Institutional Access:
NJ patients in hospitals, nursing homes, state institutions, group homes and hospice need access to medical cannabis. Patient outcomes would improve, and health care costs would be reduced with access to medical cannabis.
In 2023 CMMNJ endorsed
psychedelic research and the safe use of psychedelics. A3852/S2283 "Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access and Services
Act."
2025
Psychedelic Community Survey, a research project
for the psychedelic community, by the psychedelic community.
Treasury report: $9,420.
Fundraising ideas are always welcome. CMMNJ has thousands of hemp wristbands. Can your organization use them? See the photo below.
Or scan:
More info:
Ken Wolski, RN, MPA (609) 394-2137 ohamkrw@aol.com
Facebook: Friends of CMMNJ: https://www.facebook.com/groups/62462971150/
Twitter/X: @CMM_NJ
CMMNJ blog: https://cmmnj.blogspot.com/
CMMNJ website: https://cmmnj.org/
CMMNJ Awards:
2021: NJ Governor's Jefferson Award in the Volunteer Group category;
2023: NJ State Governor's Volunteerism Award in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Champion for Justice Category "for extraordinary service to your community;"
2023: Ken Wolski won a Lifetime Achievement award;
2023: NJ Senate and Assembly Joint Legislative Resolution affirmed CMMNJ's importance as a "catalyst for the legalization of both medical and recreational marijuana in the State" and paid “tribute to all who have contributed to its success and renown.”
CMMNJ, a 501(c)(3) public charity, is a non-profit educational organization.
Dear Senate
President Scutari,
I am writing to
you with urgency on behalf of medical cannabis patients across New Jersey,
regarding the petition “Legalize Medical Home Cultivation for NJ Patients Now!”
which has already gathered nearly 900 signatures of support from patients,
caregivers, and advocates statewide.
👉 View
the petition here.
As you know, New
Jersey was among the earliest states to enact medical cannabis reform, yet it
remains one of the few without legal home cultivation. This gap leaves
patients—many of whom live with cancer, chronic pain, PTSD, and other
debilitating conditions—without fair, affordable, and reliable access to their
medicine.
For patients on
fixed incomes, dispensary prices are simply unsustainable. For those in rural
or underserved areas, dispensaries are often inaccessible. And for
immunocompromised patients, travel can be a serious health risk. Allowing
limited, regulated home cultivation for registered patients and caregivers
would address these inequities while aligning New Jersey with the majority of
medical cannabis states.
Home grow is not
about undermining the licensed dispensary system—it is about compassion,
autonomy, and harm reduction. Just as patients can grow herbs for personal
therapeutic use, medical cannabis patients should have the same right to
cultivate a modest number of plants for their own treatment. States that allow
medical home cultivation have not seen an increase in diversion or abuse.
Instead, they have empowered patients to take control of their care in a safe,
responsible, and cost-effective way.
The Legislature
has already demonstrated compassion and foresight by legalizing adult-use
cannabis. Surely, the patients who fought for medical access for over a decade
deserve at least the same freedom and dignity.
I respectfully
urge you to advance legislation this session that legalizes home cultivation
for registered medical cannabis patients and their designated caregivers. This
reform is long overdue and deeply needed by New Jersey’s most vulnerable
residents.
Thank you for your
leadership and your consideration of this vital issue. I look forward to your
response and to working together for a more just and compassionate cannabis
policy in New Jersey.
Sincerely,
Mike Brennan
Board Member, Coalition for Medical Marijuana–New Jersey (CMMNJ)
Disabled Cancer Patient & Advocate
Coalition for Medical
Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc.
99 E 2nd Street, #B3
Moorestown, NJ 08057
