Pubdate: Tue, 29 Oct 2013
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA)
Copyright: 2013 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc
Contact:  http://www.philly.com/inquirer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/340
Author: Jan Hefler
Note: South Jersey edition

2ND N.J. MARIJUANA DISPENSARY OPENS

The New South Jersey Site Will See 32 Patients Daily. 675 Have Signed Up.

Sitting quietly in her parent's car, 2-year-old Vivian Wilson toyed 
with her iPad and grew weary during the two-hour drive to a medical 
marijuana dispensary close to Atlantic City - South Jersey's first.

Opening day at the facility in Egg Harbor Township was Monday, and 
the state's youngest marijuana patient was among nine people with 
debilitating illnesses who had appointments to pick up some cannabis.

The child's father, Brian, said "Vivie" perceived the visit only as 
"a long road trip" from their home in Scotch Plains, in North Jersey. 
But for him and his wife, Meghan, the day was monumental, tempered by 
the knowledge that "we still have a long way to go." The couple have 
been at the forefront of a fight to get sick children access to 
medical marijuana and a bill passed to allow the drug to be sold in 
an edible form.

Vivian, who has a rare form of epilepsy marked by frequent, 
life-threatening seizures, had been approved for a marijuana ID card 
in February. But until now, her parents' efforts to get her the drug 
were stymied.

The state's first dispensary, in Montclair, closer to their home, had 
been overwhelmed with the demand after opening last December. Then, 
this summer, it ran out of marijuana, leaving most of the 1,300 
patients enrolled in the program frustrated and on a waiting list.

Bill Thomas, CEO of Compassionate Care Foundation, the state's second 
dispensary, said that he had received numerous letters and calls from 
patients who constantly asked when it would open. After getting a 
note from Brian Wilson, he said he found himself "crying at my desk" 
and then called Wilson to say Vivian would be CCF's first patient.

Thomas said CCF donated the one ounce of marijuana that Vivian's 
doctor had recommended for her. Its value was about $400.

Wilson said he was pleased to finally have the cannabis for his 
daughter, but he has his work cut out for him. CCF is not yet 
equipped to produce a cannabis oil that children in Colorado and 
California have been using to control their seizures. Wilson plans to 
use a "Magical Butter" - maker that is sold on the Internet, which 
would reduce the marijuana buds to an oil that Vivian can use. The 
oil that has produced results for some children in other states is 
high in CBD, an ingredient that may stop seizures, and low in THC, 
which causes euphoria.

Thomas has said that it may take at least a year to grow and produce 
this special strain for epileptic children.

Before September, edibles were banned in New Jersey. Wilson lobbied 
for a bill to change that and confronted Gov. Christie at a campaign 
stop at a diner, pleading with him to put his misgivings aside so 
that his daughter might survive her condition.

Christie later signed the bill, but restricted edibles to children.

Wilson said that he may also be able to vaporize the cannabis buds, 
as suggested by CCF. "That would be better than having her smoke it," 
Wilson said, and there is some anecdotal evidence that it may stop a 
seizure in progress. He also plans to ask the state Department of 
Health to test the oil that he derives from the plant so that he can 
determine the proper dosage. "We're going to have to make the stuff 
and experiment with it," he said.

Thomas said CCF decided to schedule only nine appointments Monday so 
the dispensary staffers could "get our feet wet."

But as the week goes on, he said, CCF will see 32 patients a day. So 
far, more than 200 patients have been scheduled, out of 675 who have 
signed up with the clinic, he said.

The state legalized medical marijuana nearly four years ago, 
preliminarily approving six dispensaries to operate statewide. 
Patients must have one of a dozen debilitating conditions or diseases 
to qualify and must be approved by a physician.

A third clinic is expected to open in Woodbridge next month, and a 
second South Jersey clinic is planned for Bellmawr for next year. A 
spokesman for the Bellmawr clinic said renovations are underway and 
its board of trustees and principals are undergoing background checks.

For patients, the opening of CCF is welcome news. Janice Rael said 
that her friend Laura Tipps, a former Gloucester County librarian, 
expects to get a call for an appointment in about three weeks. Rael, 
Tipps' caregiver, said a CCF staffer told her last week that the 
dispensary is making appointments with patients in the order in which 
they enrolled. So far, they have scheduled patients who signed up in 
January and February, Rael said. Tipps, 50, of Clayton, could not be 
reached for comment.

"She is in a lot of pain and is very depressed," Rael said of her 
friend. "But she's relieved that we have more information now and 
that she may get [cannabis] by the end of the year."
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