newjerseynewsroom.com

BY GINA G. SCALA

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

When New Jersey finally began registering patients and caregivers for its medical marijuana program last month, those who would benefit heaved a great sigh of relief.

But in that time, only 130 people have registered. Some of the doctors allowed by law to provide marijuana as a medical regiment for certain diseases have stopped taking new patients and some are requiring a cash payment of $500 for the initial visit before recommending the drug, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Patients suffering from terminal cancer, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, glaucoma, among others, would need to shell out up to $700 for the prescription; the state has a $200 fee to obtain marijuana ID.

Ken Wolski, executive director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana, New Jersey, pointed to the small number of registered physicians and the vagueness of the law as having “a chilling effect on the program."

The 160 doctors participating in the program shouldn’t have to "jump through these hoops" in an effort to conform to the state law, Wolski said in a recent interview with the Inquirer.

“From day one with the program, there was nothing that was really supportive of patients in this. It was done with the idea that marijuana is an illegal substance…” he said in an interview with nj101.4.com. The Jersey Health Department has been working hard to implement the program, but it’s been taking an awful long time, and they have, basically, their hands tied behind their back with the regulations that they have to work with.”

Of the 18 states legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes, New Jersey is deemed to have one of the most austere programs. The program, signed into law in January 2010, didn’t open registration until last month. At that time, only 150 doctors were registered. There are now 160 registered physicians.

"I am concerned," Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D., Mercer), who co-sponsored the medical marijuana bill, told the Inquirer. "The department should be encouraging doctors to sign up, and I'm hearing anecdotally that patients are having a hard time finding a doctor."

Additional guidance is needed, particularly in determining the number of visits necessary to create “a bona fide relationship” between doctor and patient before marijuana becomes a viable treatment option, he said.

One option, under law, is four doctor visits, Dawn Thomas, state health department spokeswoman told the Inquirer. However, a doctor participating in the program may also use prudence in determining when to OK the treatment “after conducting a comprehensive medical history and physical examination" and reviewing a "patient's reaction and response to conventional medical therapies."

Meanwhile, another medical marijuana store has received the go ahead to open; this time it is on Route 1 in Woodbridge, according to Patch.com.

"It's a retail use turning into another retail use," Mayor John McCormac said.