Pubdate: Wed, 23 Mar 2016
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA)
Copyright: 2016 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc
Contact:  http://www.philly.com/inquirer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/340
Author: Jan Hefler

PANEL COULD EXPAND MEDICAL POT USE

Advocates are happy it was named, but not about the delay in naming 
it or the people on it.

New Jersey's health commissioner recently appointed a panel that will 
decide whether chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, and 
other conditions should be added to the list of a dozen ailments that 
qualify a patient to buy medical marijuana in the state.

Patient advocates have been pressing for nearly four years to have 
the list expanded, saying it is too restrictive and prevents many 
severely ill patients from obtaining cannabis.

The state's medical marijuana law allows patients who suffer from 
multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, HIV, AIDS, cancer associated with 
severe or chronic pain, glaucoma, Crohn's disease, terminal 
illnesses, and other conditions to buy up to two ounces of cannabis a 
month from a dispensary after obtaining a doctor's approval.

Ken Wolski, executive director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana 
New Jersey, said Tuesday that the rules adopted starting in 2011 
established patients' right to petition the panel to consider more 
conditions. But the state Health Department's failure to name a panel 
before this month had effectively shut the door on new patients, he said.

When he submitted a petition to the commissioner two years ago to add 
PTSD, it was rejected because the panel had not yet been created.

The Legislature also tried to get PTSD on the list by introducing a 
bill last year to amend the law, but Gov. Christie has said on 
numerous occasions that he will not sign any bill that expands the 
medical marijuana program. Christie has said he is concerned such 
changes could be a back door to legalizing recreational marijuana, 
which he opposes.

Wolski said that he was glad the new panel was created, but did not 
"really expect anything too meaningful to come of this." He said that 
acting Health Commissioner Cathleen Bennett was appointed by Christie 
last year and will have final say over what the panel of eight 
doctors, pharmacists, and nurses recommends.

The panel members lack expertise in medical marijuana, Wolski said. 
Though their resumes are full of titles of research articles, courses 
and seminars they attended, and speeches they delivered, none is on 
the subject of medical marijuana, he said.

Donna Leusner, a Health Department spokesperson, said the department 
"sought recommendations from medical organizations and medical 
schools for physician and health-care professionals who would be 
interested in serving." She said they are volunteers and will be 
required to meet at least once a year to accept petitions.

Leusner said the department delayed naming the panel because 
"initially, an insufficient number of applicants came in."

Roseanne Scotti, director of the Drug Policy Alliance in New Jersey, 
said the nonprofit had pushed for years for the panel's creation. She 
said representatives of the alliance met with the commissioner and 
submitted names, but none was selected.

Though she said she was pleased to see the panel finally was named, 
she said she was concerned about the appointees' qualifications. 
"There is no indication they have expertise in medical marijuana," she said.

Wolski said that only one of the five doctors on the panel, Cheryl A. 
Kennedy, is on the registry of physicians who recommend marijuana for 
their patients. He said one reason only about 6,900 patients are 
enrolled in the marijuana program statewide is that too few 
physicians are willing to participate-only 450. "Wouldn't it have 
been nice to see more doctors on the panel who are involved in the 
program?" he asked.

Kennedy, a psychiatrist at University Hospital in Newark, said 
Tuesday that she signed up for the registry because some of her 
patients, who suffer from HIV and multiple sclerosis, had requested 
that she approve them to use cannabis. Kennedy, also an associate 
professor of psychiatry at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said 
that medical marijuana can be beneficial and that "there's some good 
research coming out."

But Kennedy said that before she would agree to recommend more 
conditions be added to the list, she would have to examine "the 
strength of the evidence" and weigh hard data as well as anecdotal evidence.

She also said that she has expertise in medical marijuana because she 
has learned about it during continuing medical education courses on 
the topic of addiction.

Other panel members did not respond to calls for comment or could not 
be reached.

The other doctors on the panel are Stewart A. Berkowitz, a radiation 
oncologist who is the president of the New Jersey State Board of 
Medical Examiners; Jessica Anne Scerbo, a pediatric 
hematology/oncology attending physician at the Monmouth Medical 
Center; Alex Bekker, a professor of anesthesiology; and Petros 
Levounis, chair of the department of psychiatry at Rutgers New Jersey 
Medical School and a former director of the Addiction Institute of 
New York at Columbia University.

Also on the panel are Stephanie Zarus, managing director at Avancer, 
a Philadelphia-based business consulting firm for health-care 
companies, who previously worked as a registered pharmacist; Mary L. 
Johansen, a registered nurse who is a clinical associate professor at 
Rutgers-Newark; and Mary M. Bridgeman, a pharmacist who also teaches 
at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.

Leusner said that the panel had not yet announced when it will meet 
to discuss the process for evaluating petitions. After that meeting, 
she said, the Health Department will publish a notice in the New 
Jersey Register announcing that the public can submit petitions.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom