From The Weed Street Journal archive. This article was published before James Buddsey took over the site and is queued for review and update.
Officials at the Wall Street Journal predict that medical marijuana will not be available to New Jersey patients until the end of 2012 at the earliest, after the state legalized the medicinal use of the substance about three years ago.
The state Department of Health says dispensaries attempting to open are facing resistance from communities and educational facilities, due to concerns about the safety of having such an industry in a family-oriented environment. Officials have pointed to the flaws of the medical marijuana systems in California and Colorado, noting that some users abuse the dispensary system to obtain marijuana for recreational use. Concerns have also been raised about the establishment of security systems to prevent theft and fraud at dispensaries.
The Greenleaf Compassion Center in Montclair is the first dispensary expected to open after receiving state registration. Though the location of the dispensary has been secured, the restrictions on the sale of marijuana are still frustrating New jersey citizens. The owner, Joseph Stevens, says that he receives up to 30 calls a day from patients with debilitating illnesses seeking medical marijuana to alleviate their symptoms.
The state plans to release a registration of doctors that can prescribe medical marijuana sometime in March. Doctors in New Jersey can prescribe marijuana for conditions including, but not limited to, cancer, HIV, and multiple sclerosis.
