7greeneyes
MedicalNLovingIt!
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URL: hMPp://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/08/is_nj_medical_marijuana_program_the_most_expensive_in_nation.html
Suzette Roberts would rather not break the law.
But playing by the rules of New Jerseys struggling medical marijuana program has gotten the 64-year-old Cliffside Park woman nothing but $500 in doctor bills and a $200 ID card she has yet to use. New Jerseys only licensed dispensary told her in the spring theyve been swamped and havent gotten to her name on the waiting list.
Roberts who says marijuana "lessens the pain and gives me more of an appetite" as she undergoes treatment for stage 4 breast cancer buys the drug illegally because she cant afford to wait.
"This is a disgrace," Roberts said. "I am upset and angry that I laid out $700 and I am not getting any answers. I am upset with the state, too, and they dont seem to care."
In the eight months since New Jerseys first dispensary Greenleaf Compassion Center in Montclair opened, patients and providers have learned the nations most restrictive medical marijuana program is also the most expensive.
From registration fees and required multiple doctor visits that insurance wont cover, to sales tax and the price of pot, New Jerseys costs are generally higher than the 10 other states and Washington, D.C., that permit medical marijuana retail sales, according to a Star-Ledger analysis.
The review found:
 New Jersey is tied for second for the costliest registration fee ($200 for two years), has the third-highest sales tax (7 percent) and the steepest marijuana prices, according to state and dispensary websites.
 Greenleaf patients say they have spent from $440 to $560 for an ounce of marijuana, depending on the strain. Only Washington, D.C.s sole dispensary, which opened last week, comes close, charging $440 an ounce for its most expensive strain. Montana offers the best bargain, charging on average $261 an ounce.
 A New Jersey patient getting started in the program can spend $700 for an ID card and an ounce of marijuana, compared with $300 in Colorado, $510 in Washington, D.C., $531 in Arizona, and $460 in Michigan.
The Star-Ledger used state and dispensary websites, patient interviews, and medical marijuana industry and other published reports to compile the information on Arizona, California, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Washington, D.C.
"Its a rich mans game," said Jay Lassiter of Cherry Hill, a registered patient and marijuana activist who said he spent nearly $1,000 on doctor visits, state registry fees and the drug "before I took my first puff."
The review found some states provide discounts for the poor, veterans and elderly. In New Jersey, the registration card fee is sliced from $200 to $20 for people on permanent disability, food stamps and Medicaid. About half of the 1,000 registered patients paid the discounted price, state Health Department spokeswoman Donna Leusner said.
'Tantamount to fraud'
Paul Cavise, 63, a father of three from Atlantic Highlands who suffers from a nerve disorder, said he hasnt been able to buy medical marijuana and wont use the black market. He wants the Health Department to return his $200 for the "worthless" registration card he bought last year. "This is tantamount to fraud," he said.
Leusner said patients still waiting to buy pot and that would be nearly all of them, as Greenleaf has served 127 people out of 1,000 will get a prorated discount when they renew their cards in two years.
Experts say New Jersey is having the same growing pains encountered around the nation because medical marijuana dispensaries are regulated more, have higher costs and a tougher time getting banks to back them than other nonprofits.
But they stress New Jerseys program is even more expensive because the law signed by former Gov. Jon Corzine and regulations set by Gov. Chris Christie make it difficult and costly to open and maintain a dispensary.
"No matter what state you are in you can have a difficult time," said Betty Aldworth, deputy director for the National Cannabis Industry Association in Colorado. "New Jersey has the added challenge and difficulty that licensing has been terribly slow and the program is the most restrictive in the country for patients and business operators."
Suzette Roberts would rather not break the law.
But playing by the rules of New Jerseys struggling medical marijuana program has gotten the 64-year-old Cliffside Park woman nothing but $500 in doctor bills and a $200 ID card she has yet to use. New Jerseys only licensed dispensary told her in the spring theyve been swamped and havent gotten to her name on the waiting list.
Roberts who says marijuana "lessens the pain and gives me more of an appetite" as she undergoes treatment for stage 4 breast cancer buys the drug illegally because she cant afford to wait.
"This is a disgrace," Roberts said. "I am upset and angry that I laid out $700 and I am not getting any answers. I am upset with the state, too, and they dont seem to care."
In the eight months since New Jerseys first dispensary Greenleaf Compassion Center in Montclair opened, patients and providers have learned the nations most restrictive medical marijuana program is also the most expensive.
From registration fees and required multiple doctor visits that insurance wont cover, to sales tax and the price of pot, New Jerseys costs are generally higher than the 10 other states and Washington, D.C., that permit medical marijuana retail sales, according to a Star-Ledger analysis.
The review found:
 New Jersey is tied for second for the costliest registration fee ($200 for two years), has the third-highest sales tax (7 percent) and the steepest marijuana prices, according to state and dispensary websites.
 Greenleaf patients say they have spent from $440 to $560 for an ounce of marijuana, depending on the strain. Only Washington, D.C.s sole dispensary, which opened last week, comes close, charging $440 an ounce for its most expensive strain. Montana offers the best bargain, charging on average $261 an ounce.
 A New Jersey patient getting started in the program can spend $700 for an ID card and an ounce of marijuana, compared with $300 in Colorado, $510 in Washington, D.C., $531 in Arizona, and $460 in Michigan.
The Star-Ledger used state and dispensary websites, patient interviews, and medical marijuana industry and other published reports to compile the information on Arizona, California, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Washington, D.C.
"Its a rich mans game," said Jay Lassiter of Cherry Hill, a registered patient and marijuana activist who said he spent nearly $1,000 on doctor visits, state registry fees and the drug "before I took my first puff."
The review found some states provide discounts for the poor, veterans and elderly. In New Jersey, the registration card fee is sliced from $200 to $20 for people on permanent disability, food stamps and Medicaid. About half of the 1,000 registered patients paid the discounted price, state Health Department spokeswoman Donna Leusner said.
'Tantamount to fraud'
Paul Cavise, 63, a father of three from Atlantic Highlands who suffers from a nerve disorder, said he hasnt been able to buy medical marijuana and wont use the black market. He wants the Health Department to return his $200 for the "worthless" registration card he bought last year. "This is tantamount to fraud," he said.
Leusner said patients still waiting to buy pot and that would be nearly all of them, as Greenleaf has served 127 people out of 1,000 will get a prorated discount when they renew their cards in two years.
Experts say New Jersey is having the same growing pains encountered around the nation because medical marijuana dispensaries are regulated more, have higher costs and a tougher time getting banks to back them than other nonprofits.
But they stress New Jerseys program is even more expensive because the law signed by former Gov. Jon Corzine and regulations set by Gov. Chris Christie make it difficult and costly to open and maintain a dispensary.
"No matter what state you are in you can have a difficult time," said Betty Aldworth, deputy director for the National Cannabis Industry Association in Colorado. "New Jersey has the added challenge and difficulty that licensing has been terribly slow and the program is the most restrictive in the country for patients and business operators."