NORML NJ National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, New Jersey » pot

NBC4 NY Video: Inside Look at NJ Medical Marijuana Dealer

B0ard — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:42:24 +0000

Text story:
NY/NJ “Medical” Pot Dealer Describes Highs and Lows of Underground Sales

How big is NJ’s current pot economy?

B0ard — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:39:06 +0000

Regulated cannabis growing in Oakland, CA

Chris Goldstein is a member of NORML-NJ’s Board of Directors. He recently published a blog estimating the size and scale of the current underground marijuana economy in the Garden State.

Big bust in NJ tiny part of $1 billion local pot economy

New Jersey’s new Attorney General Paula Dow held a press conference yesterday lauding the largest marijuana bust of living cannabis plants in the state’s history. But authorities involved are well aware that the amount seized is just a small drop in a very large bucket.

….
Over 30, 000 New Jersey residents are arrested every year for a marijuana violation, more than 80% are for possession of less than 50 grams.

There is an assumption nationally that actual pot arrests account for about 1% of overall users. That could mean that there are 2-3 million marijuana consumers in New Jersey.

The state has about 10 million permanent residents overall.

This week the California Board of Equalization (BOE) released a report that CA residents are consuming over 1 million pounds of marijuana every 365 days. The CA BOE also concluded that 22.3 million pounds of marijuana were grown in California in 2006 alone. Read the CA BOE report

While New Jersey’s marijuana market is likely not on the same scale of California, a safe hypothesis could assume that there are indeed several million pounds of marijuana grown in the Garden State each year to keep up with local demand.

Let’s do a little math experiment: To supply 2 million cannabis consumers with just ¼ ounce per month of mid-grade underground marijuana at a cost of $50 per quarter-ounce would make for a $1.2 billion dollar pot market just in New Jersey; every year.

This theory would also mean that NJ residents consume at least 375,000 pounds of cannabis annually.

These are just conservative estimates by a blogger with a calculator.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

NORML-NJ’s Anne Davis on FOX 9

B0ard — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:31:10 +0000

Anne Davis an attorney specializing in Family Law serves on the Board of directors at NORML-NJ. Anne is also a leader in the newly formed National NORML Women’s Alliance. She appeared on FOX 9 NY/NJ this week as coverage of a large marijuana grow operation unfolded.

NJ Pot Laws – The Conditional Discharge: What is it?

B0ard — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:43:02 +0000

Frederic DiMaria is an experienced criminal defense attorney specializing in marijuana cases. He serves on the NORML-NJ Board of Trustees.

The Conditional Discharge: What is it?

By Frederic DiMaria, Jr., Esq., Chairman, NORML-NJ

The Conditional Discharge (CD) is one-time-use-only form of Pre-Trial Intervention, pertaining specifically to simple marijuana offenses in New Jersey. When you receive a conditional discharge, it means that you have agreed to get placed in a probation-like monitored program (conditional discharge program) for a period of up to one year or more, and have agreed to pay harsh fines (greater than $700) — in return for the State dropping the drug charge at the end of the conditional discharge period and, if successfully completed, ultimately having no conviction on your record.

While in the Conditional Discharge program, prosecution of the charges will be put on hold by the Court and you will have a conditional discharge officer who you will be required to report to, and who will administer, at whim, multiple random urine tests for drugs over the conditional discharge period. Each conditional discharge officer is different and methods differ between counties and people. Some test frequently. Others do not test at all.

In order for the charges to get dismissed, you must successfully complete (to the satisfaction of the conditional discharge officer) the conditional discharge program which basically means that you report to your conditional discharge officer when he/she requires, you take (and pass) urine tests when requested and you stay out of trouble. You must not be convicted of another offense during the conditional discharge period. If you fail to complete the program for any reason, the Court will renew its prosecution of the original charges.

If you successfully complete the program to the satisfaction of the probation officer, the Court will ultimately drop the original charges and your record will remain free of a drug conviction. The arrest will still be on your record, but you will likely be able to get that removed through a process known as expungement.

If you are conditional discharge eligible, you can request a Conditional Discharge from the Court. Eligibility depends upon multiple factors. A past conviction of a drug offense in New Jersey or any other State, or the past use of the Conditional Discharge program in New Jersey will make you ineligible for the program. If the Court places you in the Conditional Discharge program, the Court will order you to pay the fines set by the Court (again, expect to pay more than $700) and the Court will make you fill out paperwork before you leave. The Court will then give you further instructions.

NOTE: Like a get-out-of-jail-free card in Monopoly, you can only participate in the Conditional Discharge program once. After you use it, it can never be used again.

Many people find the Conditional Discharge program a more palatable outcome than being found guilty of marijuana possession since the Conditional Discharge will not result in loss of a New Jersey driver’s license nor will it result in a criminal record. However, in the opinion of this author the conditional discharge should be utilized as a last resort when other defenses are not available, as the conditional discharge can be an uncomfortable process for someone engaged in a marijuana prevalent lifestyle and can certainly substantially interfere with one’s life.

* Tell us in comments on this blog what other marijuana related legal topics we can address here at NORML-NJ.

NORML-NJ Asks Jay Leno for Apology

B0ard — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:27:50 +0000

Georgine DiMaria speaks at the NORML Freedom Forum 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NORML-NJ
www.normlnj.org
Working to reform Marijuana Laws in the Garden State

WHAT: Jay Leno vs. Miss New Jersey 2006 Georgine DiMaria on Medical Marijuana
CONTACT: Chris Goldstein director (at) normlnj.org

NORML-NJ Asks Jay Leno for Apology

On the Oct 22 episode of the Jay Leno Show the iconic host mentions NORML-NJ Board member Georgine DiMaria in the opening monologue.

Jay Leno- “Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker reports this week that the 2006 Miss NJ winner Georgine DiMaria – Miss New Jersey- She uses medical marijuana to treat asthma. Smoking to treat asthma really? Isn’t that like eating at Taco Bell to control your diarrhea? Let me tell you something, you know If Miss New Jersey wants to help her breathing Move out of New Jersey.”
WATCH http://www.thejaylenoshow.com/video/episodes/#vid=1169189

Georgine DiMaria is Miss New Jersey 2006 and serves on the Board of Directors at NORML-NJ, the local chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

In April of this year, Georgi revealed for the first time publicly her personal experience with medical cannabis to treat asthma though vaporization.

Washington post columnist Kathleen Parker mentions that fact in her article this week: A woman’s crusade to legalize marijuana READ HERE

While pleased at the mention in the Jay Leno Show there were a number of inaccuracies contained in the short joke. NORML-NJ is asking that an apology be issued to Ms. DiMaria by NBC Universal, the Jay Leno Show and Mr. Leno himself.

Georgine issued a full statement today. “Even though Mr. Leno’s remarks were misinformed about my personal use and took a tiresome shot at New Jersey’s air quality it’s another indication of just how mainstream medical cannabis has become. The whole reason I originally went public with my medical marijuana experience is to advocate for the compassionate use of marijuana and our rights, as patients, to feel healthy.” READ FULL STATEMENT

Georgine does not advocate personally for smoking medical cannabis. She has found that the most beneficial and effective way to ingest medical marijuana is through vaporization, which has served as her method of treatment.

Frederic DiMaria, Jr., Esq., Chairman of NORML-NJ said today, “As a practicing criminal defense attorney, every day I am forced to witness the arrest, vicious prosecution and jailing of countless sick and dying New Jerseans for doing nothing more egregious than turning to the enormous medicinal benefits of natural marijuana for relief. Unfortunately, not even Jay can make that fact funny.”

NORML’s national office in Washington DC issued the following statements about Leno’s remarks.

NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano, “To the uninformed and the non-afflicted the medicinal use of marijuana as a bronchodilator may sound humorous, but to those stricken with asthma the issue is no laughing matter. Even a cursory reference of the scientific literature will reveal that marijuana inhalation has historically been used as an asthma remedy, as the compounds in cannabis open the airways rather than constrict them. This effect is just the opposite of that experienced by those who inhale tobacco. A key word search on the site Pubmed using the terms “marijuana” and “asthma” reveals over 60 references in the scientific literature on the subject, among them: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1099949

Effects of smoked marijuana in experimentally induced asthma:
After methacholine-induced bronchospasm, placebo marijuana and saline inhalation produced minimal changes in specific airway conductance and thoracic gas volume, whereas 2.0 per cent marijuana and isoproterenol each caused a prompt correction of the bronchospasm and associated hyperinflation.

Jay Leno should stick to the subject he knows best: comedy, and leave the medical discussions to the experts — physicians and their patients.”

NORML’s National Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said, “Ironically, the use of medical cannabis for asthma, and other respiratory conditions, are some of the oldest reported uses of the drug for medicinal purposes, and the subject of numerous scientific papers going back to the late 1880s.”

NORML-NJ Executive Director Chris Goldstein welcomed the attention to the medical marijuana legislation moving ahead in New Jersey. “Medical cannabis is a serious issue and patients may soon have legal protections for their use of cannabis therapy. We need to pass our bill this year.”

More about NORML-NJ at www.normlnj.org

More about medical marijuana in NJ at www.cmmnj.org

CONTACT: Chris Goldstein director (at) normlnj.org

NORML Petition/Contact Rally Thanks President

B0ard — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:44:36 +0000

TAKE ACTION!

10/20/09 – Chris Goldstein NORML-NJ Executive Director director (at) normlnj.org

National NORML has an online petition available to communicate our support for the new Department of Justice memo on medical marijuana.

This is a tangible shift in White House policy on the topic and will help efforts to pass the medical marijuana bill here in New Jersey.

Please take a moment to participate online -

http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=14205391

While you’re at it, take a moment to contact your NJ elected officials about reform in the Garden State!

http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=12767456&type=ST

Rick Cusick Speaks at Rutgers NB this Monday!

B0ard — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:42:46 +0000

Rick Cusick NORML-NJ event

NORML NEW JERSEY OPEN MEETING IN NORTH JERSEY!!

B0ard — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:05:17 +0000

WHEN: October 20, 2009 at 7:00pm

WHERE: Dog House Saloon
270 Pascack Road
Washington Township, NJ 07676

Agenda: Rally Support for Bill S-119 and A-804, New Jersey’s Medical Marijuana Compassionate Use Act.
Contact Your Legislators.
Organize Volunteers and share information.
Recruitment of Members.

Please come to our meeting and learn how you can be apart of ending marijuana prohibition in New Jersey!!!

GUESTS MAY NOT BUY, SELL, EXCHANGE OR USE MARIJUANA AT THIS MEETING. NO MARIJUANA IS PERMITTED ON THE PROPERTY.

NORMLNJ June meeting

NORML-NJ Board Member Gets Medi-Pot Into Governor Debate

B0ard — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:44:50 +0000

10/8/2009 – NORML-NJ Executive Director

Last week New Jersey Network’s NJN News took their cameras to the street looking for questions to pose to the candidates for Governor. Rick Cusick, a NORML-NJ Board Member and the Associate Publisher of High Times Magazine, took the opportunity to ask the candidates their view on medical marijuana.

The question ended up being posed directly to Democrat Jon Corzine, Republican Chris Christie and Independent Chris Daggett. Video of Rick was shown during the first televised debate of the 2009 election on NJN. All three supported medical cannabis access. The surprise was Republican Christie, who in the past had criticized any concept of medical marijuana.

Candidates on medical marijuana

The media picked up on the candidates’ answers to the issue from The New York Times to network television news.

The Newark Star-Ledger printed the transcript of those answers today http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/10/nj_gubernatorial_candidates_ad_1.html

Corzine: “I’d sign that legislation. I want to make sure, as it goes through the Assembly, that it has the right constraints on it but I think we’re in the zone. I need to actually run through it with my counsel, all of the alternatives, but I think we’re close. I think we ought to move to this quickly. I think the people who would benefit from it, we would want to get to that sooner rather than later. I don’t think this, in any way, should be allowed to be a back-door access to recreational marijuana and we’ll make sure any bill that comes to my desk that gets my signature, we’re secure in that.”

Christie: “I do think that we can do a little bit better on the restrictions. I do favor allowing folks who have serious illnesses — in a restricted number of illnesses — to have medical marijuana to alleviate suffering. I do want to make sure that we don’t have what’s gone on in California, where you have marijuana shops all over the place and people who are not really using it for serious illnesses. The current legislation, I think, is still a little bit weak on restrictions. I’d want to see it tightened up a little bit, but assuming that we could do that I would support it. I would take an active part in trying to make it the best bill we could so that I’d be able to sign it. It’s something that I would like to have be available to people who have significant pain and suffering issues connected with tragic illness.”

Daggett: “I don’t know all the details of the bill. I generally support the use of marijuana for medical purposes as long as it can be done in a way that targets its use by the intended patient and has adequate safeguards against misuse or illegal use. I would be willing to consider being actively involved but I tend to also agree in the separation of various parts of the government. The Legislature will likely want to put its stamp on it in its own way and we need to let that process have its own course.”

NORML-NJ’s Board and volunteers would like to thank Rick for making medical marijuana a priority in the debate! This was a great example of how effective speaking up can be for the vital issues of marijuana reform.

NORML would also like to point out to the candidates that The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act would already be the most conservative marijuana program in the United States. The restrictions already included into the bill far exceed anything that exists in the 13 states that already allow for safe cannabis access.

Though some work still needs to be done, there is nothing more sensible than passing the medical marijuana bill in 2009.

Rick Cusick will be speaking on behalf of NORML-NJ at Rutgers University New Brunswick on October 19^th. More information is available at www.normlnj.org .

NORML-NJ will be having an open public meeting on October 20^th at 7:00PM. We will gather at the Dog House Saloon 270 Pascack Road Washington Township, NJ 07676.

Medical marijuana information and how NORML volunteers can support the local effort will be the lead topic at the meeting.

For more information please contact NORML-NJ director@normlnj.org www.normlnj.org

NORML-NJ on Stage at Boston Freedom Rally

B0ard — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:18:19 +0000

Georgine DiMaria represents NORML-NJ on stage at the Boston Freedom Rally 9/19/09

NORML-NJ has been going around the country building support and raising awareness for marijuana law reform in the Garden State. Georgine DiMaria is a former Miss New Jersey and on the Board of Directors at NORML-NJ. Georgi spoke about the medical marijuana effort here and was cheered by the crowd. The following is a blog I posted about the event.

Boston: 30,000 smoke pot, celebrate decrim

9/20/2009 - Chris Goldstein

An estimated 30,000 people were crowded onto the Boston Common at the peak moment of the 20th annual Boston Freedom Rally on September 19th 2009.

That moment was 4:20PM ET.

The thousands celebrated freely under a landmark victory for cannabis prohibition reform. In 2008 Massachusetts decriminalized marijuana possession of less than 1/4 ounce by adults with a Ballot Initiative, Proposition 2. That means you can only get a NON-criminal ticket with a $100 fine for a pot violation. The decrim effort was won because of the hard work of the very same folks who organize the rally: MASSCANN/NORML.

A Parks Services officer (who strangely had a thick eastern European accent) agreed that 30,000 seemed a likely estimate of the peak attendance.

A police officer, who did not wish to be named, said the department does not officially release crowd estimates for any event. But Boston Police confirmed that there were 3 arrests for distribution and over 100 citations issued for marijuana possession.

Keith Saunders, MASSCANN’s president, told me that over 50,000 people had probably walked through the grounds over the course of the day and encountered the message of marijuana legalization.

Overall, the police were civil although I saw numerous random searches and heard stories of many more. At past events there have been more than 150 arrests for pot possession… but not on Saturday. Without fear of arrest the crowd was polite and almost everyone I saw was openly enjoying marijuana.

An impressive line-up of bands and speakers appeared on two stages. Styles P, a big time reform supporter showed up and did a surprise set thanks to High Times Magazine. Because of some juggling to accommodate the last minute act, the countdown to 4:20 got squeezed. A sea of people were gathering before the main stage and filling in the large hill.

Steve Bloom of CelebStoner corralled the final 60 seconds, holding a clock up opn stage and pointing as the hands came together. Looking out from that stage you could see huge clouds of smoke rise up from the crowd. There were dozens of spontaneous circles formed in a surreal organic collage of people. They cheered from across the rolling hills of the Common as giant 6-foot long joints were passed around.

Everyone smoked. There really was a quite visible haze over the entire crowd at 4:20. The sweet and fragrant odors of a wide variety of plant strains and hash drifted by offering this interesting quilt of cannabis.

The crowd was extremely well behaved. There cannot be a finer exhibition of the positive effects of human cannabis smoking than large crowds of people doing it together. Without alcohol available at the event there were no fights, pushing or shoving. But with free cannabis consumption there was dancing, conversation and a genuinely happy atmosphere.

Personally, this was the most wonderful day for prohibition reform I have witnessed.

Our country deserves this freedom that Massachusetts already enjoys.

I have seen Victory for Cannabis in Boston. It is sweet and green. It needs to be nationwide.

The first two pics were from my cellphone, this last one is from Derek at PhillyNORML. I’ll have some more blogging about the bands, speakers, backstage and social events from the Boston Freedom Rally.