Marijuana Blog

The opening of New Jersey's first state-authorized medical marijuana dispensary is going to be delayed, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.

Greenleaf Alternative Treatment Center will not be ready to open for several weeks because it does not have its final certificate of occupancy from Montclair Township, New Jersey.

Delays have been numerous for patients in New Jersey, and that, combined with the heavy restrictions in the program itself, makes one wonder just how serious officials in NJ are about helping sick people.

The New Jersey legislature passed a law allowing medical marijuana in January 2010, but no dispensaries have opened yet.

So far, 170 physicians and 239 patients have registered to take part in the program.

Check out the woman in the video below at about 1:20 in who talks about medical marijuana not being for anxiety since Xanax can be prescribed for that. Some people are just woefully unaware of the awful side effects that come with drugs like Xanax. The male reporter describes the cannabis user as “glassy” towards the end of the interview; have you ever seen someone after taking a Xanax?

Source: http://newyork.newsday.com

After their petition to add Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana in Colorado was denied for a second time, veterans in the state have decided to take matters into their own hands.

At a news conference recently at the El Paso County Court House in Colorado Springs, veterans gathered to announce the formation of "Veterans for 64," a group in support of Colorado's Amendment 64 ballot measure which seeks to legalize and regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol.

“As a combat veteran,” said Iraq War veteran Joe Hatcher, on whose behalf the PTSD petition was filed, “I served our country in Iraq, and I am painfully aware of the devastating impact PTSD has had on veterans and their families. These brave soldiers -- and the many non-soldiers who suffer from PTSD -- deserve legal and safe access to this substance that has been proven to be therapeutically effective in treating this condition. I hope Coloradans will join me in voting Yes on 64, and help veterans and others with PTSD get access to marijuana without fear of arrest and prosecution.”

"The state's failure to act is an effective denial of this compassionate petition," said Vietnam veteran Bob Wiley in a statement announcing the formation of Veterans for 64. "Our only option is to support Amendment 64, which will ensure that Coloradans 21 and older who suffer from PTSD will no longer be subject to arrest and prosecution for using marijuana."

In the end many medical marijuana patients will find that they will need legalization in order to be free to treat their ailments, no matter what they are. Everyone should have the option of cannabis instead of the addictive and deadly prescription drugs that Big Pharma pushes on us.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com