The Greenleaf Compassion Center, a medical marijuana dispensary in Montclair that will open soon. MONTCLAIR — New Jersey's first medical marijuana dispensary opens Thursday after years of battles and bureaucratic delays in enacting a controversial law signed on former Gov. Jon Corzine's last day in office.
The founders of Greenleaf Compassion Center in Montclair said today they expected to make the first legally sanctioned sale of pot late this morning — with only patients who have recommended by their doctor, registered with the state Health Department and scheduled for an appointment allowed to get through the door.
"We are extremely excited to serve the patients of New Jersey and humbled the state gave us a permit to let us do this," said Joe Stevens, board member and Greenleaf co-founder.
Advocates said the dispensary’s opening — first reported today by The Star-Ledger on nj.com, its online home — will begin to give patients relief traditional medicine hasn’t provided.
Roseanne Scotti, director of New Jersey Drug Policy Alliance, one of the advocacy groups that helped get the law passed, called the announcement "an incredible and historic moment for some of the most seriously ill patients" in New Jersey.
About 20 of the 338 registered patients have been scheduled to meet with Greenleaf on Thursday. Patients are being called in the order the state issued their identification cards.
Thursday’s opening will come after fights between Gov. Chris Christie, who said the law he inherited was too lax, and advocates who said he was taking too long to bring relief to patients in pain.
As Christie and lawmakers wrestled over the program’s rules, the health department — creating the program from scratch — encountered problems with screening potential dispensary operators.
The governor repeatedly stressed New Jersey would not resemble the "de facto legalization" of pot in Colorado and California, and he put John O’Brien, a retired State Police lieutenant, in charge. New Jersey’s medical marijuana law is the nation’s toughest.
Julio Valentin, a board member and one of the center’s original founders, said patients and the community should have faith in the program’s integrity. The Bloomfield Avenue storefront is secure, and the marijuana has been tested and deemed free of pesticides, mold and fungus. "People will have a place that is safe and secure," Valentin said. "They won’t have to hide in the shadows anymore."
Patients are limited to buying no more than 2 ounces of pot a month, but their physicians may recommend less. Initially, Greenleaf plans to sell no more than a half-ounce so the supply it has grown at an undisclosed indoor facility can stretch to every registered patient, board members said.
"We are asking for their cooperation and patience right now. Going forward, those limitations will be lifted," said Parita Patel, an attorney and board member.
Patients must pay cash, Stevens said. Under program rules that prohibit advertising, Greenleaf said it could not disclose its prices. Patients who can verify they are low-income will be eligible for a discount, said Jordan Matthews, an attorney and board member.
Greenleaf staff will discuss patients’ medical history, and recommend how a particular strain might help alleviate symptoms, said Sanjeev Patel, a board member and hotel developer. "Everybody’s body reacts a different way," he said.
State Health Commissioner Mary E. O’Dowd said program officials will be at the center Thursday to monitor the operation.
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"The department has worked closely with Greenleaf to ensure the integrity of the program," O’Dowd said. We are "gratified that qualified patients will have access to medicinal marijuana in an appropriate setting."
Marta Portuguez of Roselle Park called Thursday’s opening "a wonderful thing," and said she eagerly awaits her turn to legally use pot for several chronic illnesses that cause severe pain and frequent muscle spasms. Portuguez said she uses marijuana to lessen the pain and reduce the intensity of the spasms. "I do just enough to stop what is driving me insane," she said.
Greenleaf is one of six approved nonprofit "alternative treatment centers," but the others have had difficulty finding a place to open or passing the state’s review process.
"The program will only be successful if all patients throughout our state have reasonable access to this treatment," said Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer), who co-sponsored the law.
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