Pubdate: Sun, 08 Sep 2013
Source: Trentonian, The (NJ)
Copyright: 2013 Associated Press
Contact:  http://www.trentonian.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1006
Author: Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press

1 CHANGE TO NJ MEDICAL POT LAWS COULD BE MAJOR

TRENTON (AP) - New Jersey is poised to change some of its medical 
marijuana regulations to ease access for sick children, and advocates 
say one of the measures could have a broad impact.

If it gets Assembly approval Monday, the state will no longer limit 
licensed dispensaries to growing three strains of cannabis.

Ken Wolski, executive director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana 
New Jersey, said the change would allow the alternative treatment 
clinics to provide the types of cannabis most likely to help specific 
patients with varied conditions. He said research has found that 
various strains help with different conditions and symptoms: Some 
control nausea, while others control pain or reduce convulsions.

Lawmakers adopted the change in June as part of a bill inspired by 
children with a form of epilepsy to knock down some of the state's 
barriers to young patients getting marijuana. Last month, Gov. Chris 
Christie issued a conditional veto. He agreed to end the cap on the 
number of strains that growers can provide and to allow them to sell 
edible forms of marijuana to young patients. But the governor struck 
a change that would have let sick children get medical pot with the 
approval of just one doctor, just like adults. Instead, they will 
continue to need at least two doctors - and in some cases, three - to sign off.

The state Senate has already adopted his version, and the Assembly is 
scheduled to vote on it Monday. If the Assembly passes the bill, it 
goes back to Christie for his signature.

Of the 20 states that have laws allowing medical marijuana, New 
Jersey is considered to have the strictest regulations.

It has a shorter list of qualifying medical conditions than most of 
the other states do. It is one of few that make it tougher for 
qualifying children to get the drug than adults, for instance, and 
the only one to limit the potency of pot available. None of the other 
states have capped how many types of marijuana the licensed sellers 
can produce.

Advocates have criticized the limit on strains since it was proposed 
three years ago, but it was the story of 2-year-old Vivian Wilson 
that inspired lawmakers to press to change it.

The Scotch Plains girl's family says it believes her Dravet syndrome 
- - a rare and sometimes deadly form of epilepsy - can be controlled 
with a strain of marijuana that is high in a compound known as CBD 
and low in THC, the chemical that gets users high. But with the limit 
on how many strains New Jersey treatment centers can offer, it 
appeared unlikely she would be able to get it legally in the state.

But it's not just children who may benefit from having a variety of 
types of the drug.

"It really gives us a lot more opportunity to start strains that will 
help people in different ways," said Andrei Bogolubov, a spokesman 
for Compassionate Sciences, a group that hopes to open a growing 
facility and dispensary in Bellmawr next year.

He said it also appears that combinations of strains seem to help 
many patients.

Jahan Marcu, a Philadelphia scientist who plans to move to 
Massachusetts in coming months to run a cannabis testing lab, said 
lifting the limit on strains opens up the possibility of combining 
strains for patients in New Jersey. "People want to tease out 
individual properties," he said.

So far, only one of six dispensaries selected by the state in 2011 
has opened. A second one is hoping to start serving patients this month.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom