The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey, Inc. (CMMNJ) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) educational organization, incorporated in the State of New Jersey. The mission of CMMNJ is to educate the public and lawmakers about the medical benefits of marijuana. The goal of CMMNJ is to have safe and legal access to medical marijuana for qualified New Jersey patients. In 2013, CMMNJ held nine monthly public meetings at the Lawrence Township Library in Mercer County. (The February and November meetings were canceled by the library due to schedule conflicts, and the December meeting was canceled due to snow.) At the meetings, Board members and volunteers planned a number of events and educational programs. CMMNJ sent the agenda and minutes of these meetings via e-mail to over 3000 supporters each month. CMMNJs open public meetings for 2014 will continue to be held on the second Tuesday of each month from 7 - 9 PM at the Lawrence Twp. (Mercer County) Library on Darrah Lane at Business Rt 1. All are welcome and there is no charge to attend. Highlights of 2013: Coming in at #5 in nj.com's Top 10 NJ medical stories of the past ten years: MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL APPROVED For the state of New Jersey to recognize the medical effectiveness of this medicine is significant, says Ken Wolski, executive director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana in New Jersey. However, Wolski says the effect of the states medical marijuana law is limited because of the stringent regulations. http://www.nj.com/insidejersey/index.ssf/2013/09/top_10_new_jersey_medical_stories_of_the_past_five_years.ht ml NJs Medicinal Marijuana Program (MMP): By the end of 2013 it is nearly four full years since the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act was signed into law on January 18, 2010, and only about 400 patients have received medical marijuana in the state. 12/6/13 was the first anniversary of what the Associated Press called Legalization Day, the day Washington States marijuana legalization law went into effect. Coincidentally, 12/6/13 was also the anniversary of the start of New Jerseys Medicinal Marijuana Program, one year after 20 patients legally purchased marijuana from a dispensary in Montclair, New Jersey. Throughout most of 2013, only one dispensary, Greenleaf Alternative Treatment Center (ATC) in Montclair was selling marijuana, by appointment, to registered New Jersey patients. Greenleaf restricted its sales to North Jersey residents and sold marijuana for $480 - $560/ounce.
A previous attempt to use a medical defense before a NJ jury for a marijuana offense was in MS patient John Wilsons case in Somerset County. The medical defense was disallowed by the judge who sentenced Wilson to five years in prison on 3/19/10. Unfortunately for Mr. Forchion, there was a technical violation of his probation for which he was sentenced to intermittent incarceration. Gov. Christie has ignored his petition for a pardon. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20130117__NJ_Weedman__sentenced_to_probation__ fines__in_medical-marijuana_test_case.html Other high profile medical marijuana patients who have been dragged through the criminal justice system in New Jersey in 2013 for using medical marijuana include Joe DSouza in Bayonne Municipal Court, Amy Doherty in Medford Court, and Mike Miceli of Jackson, NJ. Cancer survivor and NJ MMP ID card holder Joseph DSouzas arrest and trial is documented at the CMMNJ bog at: http://cmmnj.blogspot.com/2013/04/joseph-dsouzastrial.html?showComment=1366326205007 Marijuana Decriminalization: A bill to decriminalize 15 grams of marijuana, A1465, passed the entire NJ Assembly 6/25/12. In the Senate, Senator Nicholas Scutari introduced S1977, a bill to decriminalize 50 grams of marijuana. S1977 was never scheduled for a committee hearing in all of 2013. Governor Christie vowed to veto marijuana decriminalization legislation when it gets to his desk. Christie has said, "The war on drugs, while well-intentioned, has been a failure. Christie recommended a year of mandatory treatment for first-time, nonviolent drug offenders instead of jail time. The mandatory treatment would presumably include medical marijuana users who have not been able to gain access to the states MMP. The CMMNJ Board supports marijuana decriminalization in New Jersey for the following reasons: Almost four years have passed since the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act was signed into law, yet only a handful of qualifying patients have received legal medical marijuana; Patients continue to be arrested and imprisoned in this state for using medical marijuana illegally to treat their medical conditions; and, Countless patients who could benefit from medical marijuana are currently disqualified from participating in New Jerseys medicinal marijuana program and will continue to be disqualified for the foreseeable future. CMMNJ Board member and medical marijuana patient Jay Lassiter said while publicly exhaling marijuana smoke on MyFoxPhilly.com, "The end of prohibition is coming," Lassiter said. "The beginning of the end is near. It has arrived. It is it's coming out of my lungs." Progress: The Pennsylvania State Nurses Association (PSNA) endorsed medical marijuana in 2013. PSNA supports protection from prosecution for patients who currently use medicinal marijuana or for providers suggesting medicinal marijuana for relief of intractable conditions or symptoms. Illinois became the 20th medical marijuana state in 2013.
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CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta endorsed medical marijuana. Assemblyman Peter Barnes (D-Middlesex) has proposed a bill in February (A765) that forbids rejecting a patient for any medical procedure because they use medical marijuana specifically organ transplants. Smoke Down Prohibition, the monthly demonstrations at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia have been high-profile events for marijuana reform. Former CMMNJ Board member Chris Goldstein was cited for marijuana smoking along with others in acts of civil disobedience. Goldstein faces six months in prison and a $1000 fine for possession of a single joint when he goes to trial in federal court (601 Market St., Philadelphia) on 1/23/14 at 10:30 am. CMMNJ Calls for Congressional Hearings on Medical Marijuana: There should be Congressional Hearings on Medical Marijuana, specifically on why the Department of Justice (DOJ) thinks it can interfere with a states legitimate medical marijuana program. Marijuana is considered to be medicine in 20 states and the District of Columbia. It is an abridgement of the constitutional separation of powers for the DOJ to interfere with these programs. The U.S. Supreme Court has already acknowledged (in the Garden Grove decision) that states have the right to determine the proper practice of medicine within each state. In the Garden Grove case the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a lower courts decision that said: "Congress enacted the Controlled Substances Act to combat recreational drug abuse and curb drug trafficking. Its goal was not to regulate the practice of medicine, a task that falls within the traditional powers of the states. The DOJ can no more consider state-licensed marijuana dispensaries to be illegal drug dealers than it can consider state-licensed pharmacies to be illegal drug dealers. These actions by the DOJ are an unconstitutional infringement on the traditional rights and powers of a state to define health care practices within that state, and these actions by the DOJ must stop. Thanks to CMMNJ volunteers! On behalf of the Board of Directors of CMMNJ, I would like to thank all of our supporters for their tireless efforts throughout the year. As we are an allvolunteer organization, we are nothing without you! Special thanks go to: Jim Price has been volunteering his time updating the cmmnj.org web site. Courageous patients like Rowyn Capers (AKA Susan Sturner) have been granting media interviews to put a human face on the issue of medical marijuana, and to explain how marijuana helps them better than anything else. (See: http://cj.sunne.ws/files/2013/01/Lawrence_0116.pdf) Lefty Grimes has been producing high quality videos of medical marijuana patients and families in New Jersey and posting these videos on YouTube and social media sites.
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