First dispensary issued permit to begin cultivating medical marijuana

Although the New Jersey Legislature passed the state's medical marijuana law in January 2010, implementation has been slow and halting. On March 21, 2011, the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) granted six dispensary licenses, two in each part of the state. However, the dispensaries have still not gotten final approval to dispense due to repeated delays caused by Gov. Chris Christie and his health department, as well as difficulties some dispensaries have experienced in getting local approval. In addition, the patient registry is still not available. But an end may be in sight: On April 16, the first of these six dispensaries was issued a permit by DHSS to begin growing medical marijuana.

Sadly, the slow implementation process has negatively impacted New Jersey patients. While waiting for the state to implement dispensaries, medical marijuana patient John Ray Wilson, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, was convicted for growing 17 marijuana plants for his personal medical use. Wilson was sentenced to five years in prison and began serving his sentence in January. A resolution (SCR 89) urging Gov. Christie to exercise executive clemency to commute Wilson’s sentence stalled in the Senate in March.  

The Drug Policy Alliance New Jersey and the Coalition for Medical Marijuana-New Jersey have done an amazing job leading the lobbying efforts to pass this important legislation by and pushing back hard against overly restrictive implementation. They were also helped by the New Jersey State Nurses Association, the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians, the New Jersey Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, the New Jersey League for Nursing, and chapters of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Learn about New Jersey's marijuana laws

In New Jersey, possession of even a single joint for non-medical purposes is punishable by up to six months of incarceration and up to a $1,000 fine. You can learn more about New Jersey’s marijuana penalties and enforcement by reading this report by Jon Gettman, PhD.

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