N.J. releases highly anticipated rules for dispensing medical marijuana to patients

[^_^ 5,021]

TRENTON — Getting into New Jersey’s medical marijuana program will be tough: Patients must have one of nine diseases or conditions and their doctors must have been treating them for at least a year, seen them four times and be willing to vouch that traditional forms of relief have failed.

Once they pass the scrutiny of a state-appointed review panel, patients can either go to one of four dispensaries or arrange to get their medicine delivered to their home, according to the state Department of Health and Senior Services, which tonight released the highly anticipated rules for what patients, advocates and lawmakers call the most restrictive medical marijuana program in the country.

Application and renewal fees are either $20 or $200, depending on patients’ income level. They can choose how they want to ingest their medication — either by smoking, taking an enhanced lozenge or applying a lotion laced with THC, one of the active ingredients in pot, according to the 97 pages of rules. Patients can receive up to 2 ounces of marijuana per month from their dispensaries, also called "alternative treatment centers.’’

The state also limited the potency of the drug to just 10 percent THC, according to the rules.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/10/nj_releases_highly_anticipated.html