Pubdate: Tue, 16 Oct 2012
Source: Press of Atlantic City, The (NJ)
Copyright: 2012 South Jersey Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/29
Author: Hoa Nguyen

NEW JERSEY ISSUES FIRST PERMIT FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA FACILITY TO 
MONTCLAIR CENTER

New Jersey issues first permit for medical marijuana facility to
Montclair center

Health officials issued the state's first permit to dispense medical
marijuana to an Essex County center Monday, while operators of a
planned Egg Harbor Township facility said they expect to be issued one
in five months.

"There's been a lot of work done," said Bill Thomas, head of the
Compassionate Care Foundation planned for Century Drive in Egg Harbor
Township.

The nonprofit is in the process of completing construction on its
facility, including bringing in custom grow lights from China that
arrived today, installing a security system and finalizing
construction on its growing rooms, Thomas said.

Two years after then-Gov. Jon S. Corzine enacted the medical marijuana
legislation, Essex County's Greenleaf Compassion Center, at 395
Bloomfield Ave. in Montclair, received the first state permit to
operate as an "alternate treatment center," Department of Health
Commissioner Mary O'Dowd said.

"The issuance of this permit marks a significant step forward," she
said. "This does not mean that Greenleaf is opening tomorrow. It means
they have a permit to begin planning."

State officials said they do not know when the Montclair center will
open its doors to business, but it is permitted to do so at any point
with the issuance of the permit. Representatives of Greenleaf could
not be reached for comment Monday.

Identification cards also will be mailed to 190 state residents who
have registered for the program and are qualified to receive medical
marijuana, O'Dowd said. In total, 320 people have registered or are in
the process of registering, including five in Atlantic County, eight
in Cumberland County and two in Cape May County, according to the
Health Department.

Under the state's program, people who suffer from certain debilitating
medical conditions must receive a referral from their doctor to
register for the program. They or a designee, who also must register
with the state, must pick up the marijuana in person. Medical
marijuana will be packaged in quarter-ounce containers, and patients
can receive a maximum of 2 ounces every month.

Although the number of people who have signed up for the program in
South Jersey has been relatively few, Compassionate Care Foundation
believes it will serve about 500 patients eventually, Thomas said.

While the foundation submitted its paperwork to the state, it has had
to submit an amended version due to wording changes regulators
recommended the nonprofit make to its financing agreement, Thomas said.

The nonprofit hopes to receive permission to begin growing marijuana
by the end of next month, Thomas said. The plants require a growing
period of at least 90 days followed by two weeks of processing the
marijuana, he said, adding he hopes to be licensed for business by
March.

In the meantime, the nonprofit has been scheduling appointments with
doctors to tell them more about the medical marijuana program. Because
patients must register as being under the care of a doctor, physicians
are an important contact for the nonprofit, Thomas said.

The Department of Health said 175 physicians have registered for the
program across the state, including 13 doctors in Atlantic County,
three in Cape May County, three in Cumberland County and seven in
Ocean County.

Some local doctors registered with the program said they wish the
state would expand the list of approved medical conditions.

At the moment, only patients who have certain chronic conditions, such
as multiple sclerosis, terminal illness, muscular dystrophy, epilepsy
and glaucoma, are approved to receive medical marijuana.

"Very few people will actually qualify," said Dr. Jeffrey Pollack, a
Mays Landing-based internist who would like to see the list expanded
to include patients with neuropathic pain, severe nausea symptoms and
other conditions. "I would like to see the definition expanded."

Another physician registered with the program, Dr. Alan Faustino, of
Atlantic City, said he believes there is a stigma associated with
medical marijuana that should be addressed.

"There's a lot of barriers that we have to overcome," he said. "A lot
of it is education," he said.

Faustino said that when he first registered with the program, several
of his colleagues said they believed he was making a mistake and that
he would lose patients. But in fact, he said he benefited and receive
positive feedback from patients.

"Everyone told me I was crazy," he said. "I found quite the opposite."
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