Mixed Feelings About Jersey’s Medical Pot Program Moving Forward

The registration process for patients who want to participate in Jersey’s medical marijuana program has begun, but not everybody is thrilled about it.

Jay Lassiter, a medicinal marijuana advocate who is HIV positive, says “it’s a sign of progress that the registration process is happening but it’s discouraging that for many of us t,he first day that we’re able to register has been a day of revelation, where we realize just how burdensome the registration process is.”

He says relatively few doctors are officially registered to participate in the program – so it makes finding a physician difficult and often-times expensive.

“So you imagine these people” he says, “who are literally at deaths door- who aren’t able to even get out of bed – who are being presented with these bureaucratic and financial hurdles…when Chris Christie ran for Governor I do remember him campaigning on a platform of low taxes, low regulations and low fees – and here we are looking at his administration’s implementation of this medical marijuana law – and it couldn’t be further from his platform promises – this has been nothing but fees, nothing but regulations and quite frankly it seems to go against the conservative ideal that he espouses when he’s out on his road-show…it’s hard to imagine a Governor bumbling a program …worse than Christie has done here.”

Jersey’s first legal dispensary – the Greenleaf Compassion Center  - is expected to open in Montclair after Labor Day. Information about the program is available at www.nj.gov/health/medicalmarijuana.