Chronic Illness: The Garden State Goes Green

They are growing something new in the Garden State.  New Jersey recently became the 14^th state in the nation to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes. However, getting weed in Jersey is going to be very strictly regulated so your local dealer isn’t out of business just yet.

Unlike California, where they pass out pot for vague ailments like anxiety and pain, only those with severe ailments are going to score. Don’t bother dropping by the pharmacy on your way to that Dave Matthews concert unless you have something comparable to AIDS, MS, or muscular dystrophy. And even if you have Lou Gerhig’s disease it’s not a quick trip to CVS – at first medical marijuana will only be available at six government-run locations.

“That’s lame,” I can hear art majors across the state cry, “but if I get cancer then I’m free to blaze whenever?” Well, no, but way to look at the bright side. The law will strictly limit what weed can be prescribed for. Furthermore, there will be a lot of rigid rules regarding distribution: Eligible patients can not use their meds in public. Unlike some other states, patients cannot grow their own. The most one patient can get is two ounces of weed a month. The state sets the price of a dime bag and insurance is not required to cover it.

Not just anyone can write a pot prescription either. The doctor must have a license to practice medicine and surgery and must also have a bona-fide relationship with the patient.

While the bill may not be great for college students looking to get… healthier, it’s great news for people with actual diseases. Marijuana has been proven to help people suffering from excruciating pain caused by illness. It’s also been found that when patients with multiple sclerosis take marijuana extract they experience a reduction in spasticity (involuntary muscle spasms) and a marked improvement in mobility.

Down the line, additional for-profit distribution centers may open. The proprietors will have to get licenses from the Department of Health and Senior Services as well as pass a criminal background check. Some people (you know the type) are afraid that legalized medical marijuana will cause kids to think more about using drugs. The executive director of the Drug-Free Schools Coalition expressed concern about these for-profit centers. “There are going to be pot centers coming to neighborhoods where people live and are trying to raise their families,” he said. I completely sympathize. As a native resident of the state I enjoy the safety of driving to the liquor store a half mile down the road. Or to the several bars scattered throughout my modest downtown. Heaven forbid that a regulated center for the distribution of medical marijuana jeopardize all that healthy alcohol.

So what does this all mean for the people of New Jersey? For the very sick it means some long-awaited relief. For all you healthy potheads out there it means secretly hotboxing your friend’s car a little longer. Just until they legalize it.