Back in January 2010, New Jersey passed the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, legislation which allows medical marijuana in the State. New Jersey’s first medical marijuana dispensary, the Greenleaf Alternative Treatment Center in Montclair Township, just received its certificate of occupancy and can now open up its doors.

About 300 patients have either registered with the program or are in the process of completing registration, and about 175 physicians have registered. According to the Department of Health’s website, “[t]he other five Alternative Treatment Centers are in various stages of either finalizing locations or having background examinations completed of the principals of their organizations.” Once a patient or caregiver is approved, their 2-year registration period will begin.

Under the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, a registered doctor must diagnose a medical marijuana recipient with a “debilitating medical condition.” So only those with serious illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, HIV or AIDS, glaucoma and terminal cancer will be able to purchase the cannabis. According to Greenleaf’s business partners, Julio Valentin and Joseph Stevens, Greenleaf will carry 3 varieties of marijuana: weak, medium, and strong. The “legal limit” of THC allowed in the medicinal marijuana is 10%.

Only 17 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws to legalize medical marijuana. Those states include: (1) Alaska, (2) Arizona, (3) California, (4) Colorado, (5) Connecticut, (6) Delaware, (7) Hawaii, (8) Maine, (9) Michigan, (10) Montana, (11) Nevada, (12) New Jersey, (13) New Mexico, (14) Oregon, (15) Rhode Island, (16) Vermont, and (17) Washington.

What do you think of medicinal marijuana?