Dear Editor,
In 2015, five years after the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act became law,
most patients still receive no protection, as the initial illnesses listed are far too limited and Governor Christie has blocked new qualifying illnesses from being added to the program, despite the law being designed to accept new illnesses.
The few dispensaries are overpriced and frequently have product shortages. Patients are legally limited to only two ounces per month, yet other states allow patients to use as much medical marijuana as they need.Getting a medical card is complex and expensive, as New Jersey requires additional registration for doctors to be able to recommend medical marijuana and most physicians are unfamiliar with the registration process.
New Jersey needs a total overhaul of it's medical marijuana system. Any patient who a physician believes would benefit from the use of medical marijuana should qualify. The dispensary regulations should be repealed and patients should be allowed to operate not-for-profit collectives and cooperatives to provide each other with medicine, without any kind of red tape licensing scheme.
New Jersey should adopt the text of California's Proposition 215. California has succeeded where New Jersey failed.
Eric Hafner
Toms River
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