It's like being given a key to the kingdom but then putting a bunch of hurdles in front of the kingdom's gate. New Jersey voters want to legalize medical marijuana. It's been three years since the state said yes to the legalization, but still not much progress. What is the hold-up?
Currently there is only one legal medical marijuana dispensary that has opened. And based on the experience of the workers there, some might say that others who are ready to open up their own dispensaries in New Jersey are crazy.
According to workers of Greenleaf Compassion Center, it isn't just the state law versus federal law that creates stress regarding the sales of medical marijuana. State regulators alone are sending them mixed messages, applauding the center for its work one day and warning that it might be shut down for supposed violations the next.
Greenleaf is the sort of guinea pig of medical marijuana dispensaries in New Jersey. Several establishments are supposed to make the controversial medication available to eligible consumers, but no others have opened yet. They have supposedly failed to meet the legal criteria necessary to open.
This puts great pressure on Greenleaf, which has a backlog of patients wanting to buy marijuana. That is a stress for the business as well as a disappointment for medical pot advocates who think that New Jersey is moving too slowly in its acceptance and application of the medical marijuana law.
Strict rules regarding the sales and use of marijuana are not going anywhere. Our New Jersey drug crimeslawyers can help those who have questions about the law or who are being threatened with marijuana charges.
Source: The Star-Ledger, "N.J. medical pot program beset by clashes with state, patient backlogs, legal challenges," Susan K. Livio, March 4, 2013