Letter: NJ Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Are a Sham

The expressed opinions or views of this letter does not necessarily represent the opinion of the MiddletownMike blog:

Dear Editor,

New Jersey's medical marijuana dispensary system is a sham. A handful of politically connected business people (one of which is former Gov. Whitman's brother) have been given a green light by the Christie Administration to become a state-backed federally illegal drug cartel.

The State of New Jersey's position is that only medical marijuana produced by the state-backed cartel is lawful, and home grow medicine (or medicine from out-of-state dispensaries) is an illegal drug, amounts to a racketeering scheme under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). This scheme creates a monopoly on a federally illegal substance and unfairly leaves legitimate patients and caregivers subject to state-level criminal prosecution.

While New Jersey may remove state-level criminal penalties against medical marijuana, it has no power to affirmatively authorize a select few to violate federal law, while prosecuting the rest.

New Jersey's medical marijuana system is a mafia-controlled for-profit business designed to maximize profits for the politically corrupt, at the expense of patients. Overpriced, sub-par products are being sold by these businesses. State officials have become co-conspirators in a federally illegal scheme.

Shut down the dispensaries and let patients grow at home.



Eric Hafner
Toms River