ARTICLE: Prescriptions for N.J. marijuana hard to get

09/05/2012 10:02 PM
By Jan Hefler
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Many of the doctors who recently registered with New Jersey's medical marijuana program are not accepting new patients, while some are charging nearly $500 in cash for visits before they will recommend the drug.

That may explain why only 130 patients have signed up so far for the state's new program, say members of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana-New Jersey, a patient advocacy group that has been pushing for the alternative pain relief for more than five years. In Arizona, more than 700 patients applied to use marijuana when that state's program opened last year.

"I wondered what it would be like for a hospice patient to try to navigate the program and to find a doctor," said Vanessa Waltz, a coalition board member who telephoned all 148 doctors listed on the state Department of Health's website last month when the patient registry was launched.

Since then, the number has grown to 160 doctors - out of nearly 36,000 licensed physicians in the state.

The program is not yet operational as no marijuana dispensary has received final approvals to sell to patients. A dispensary in Montclair, Essex County, is expecting to open this month.