Don't tell the cops I drugged mom

Sometimes my mom's lack of appetite is so strong that nothing the doctors prescribe help in getting her to eat. We've given her Megace/ Megestrol, an appetite stimulant, but the effects weren't super obvious and I really didn't know if it kicked in. Well, I decided to try marijuana one weekend. I cooked it with butter, spread the weed butter on some corn muffins and offered it to her. It was a really funny scene...offering the muffin to her and waiting for any kind of reaction, seeing whether she'll get the munchies or act funny or extremely mellow. As a proud graduate of the fifth grade DARE program, I have never used weed in my life. In fact, the most common exposure I have had to marijuana is from movies like Pineapple Express and Super Bad. Never expected that at the ripe old age of 27, my encounter with weed would be in the context of cancer.

Medicinal marijuana was legalized in New Jersey two and a half years ago, but plans to allow dispensaries to set up shop have only been very recent. In fact, there are plans for a dispensary in Montclair to open in August. The other location is Egg Harbor Township. There have been many obstacles to making medicinal marijuana accessible.

First,

Gov. Chris Christie's administration held up its implementation while evaluating the law amid increasing pushback from federal authorities. Federal law bans the possession and sale of marijuana, and the Obama administration has taken a hardened stance against commercial enterprises growing medical pot.
New Jersey decided to proceed in July 2010, but the state Department of Health and Senior Services took time to develop a highly regulated system that it said was necessary to safeguard against theft and fraud.

(http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304070304577398521324191292.html)

Then it was fear from communities with the "there goes the neighborhood" mentality, preventing dispensaries from opening in their towns. Their fear is unreasonable because of the regulations put in place.

Of all states with a medicinal marijuana program, New Jersey’s is among the most restricted and highly regulated.

The list of chronic ailments that qualify patients for a medicinal marijuana recommendation is short, and includes cancer, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, seizure disorders and Crohn’s disease. A recommendation can only be issued by a doctor who has registered with the state’s physician database.

Registered physicians must have an on-going relationship with patients before issuing recommendations, and must enter patients’ names, addresses, dates of birth and qualifying conditions into a secure online database.

As a part of the registration process, patients will also be required to submit a photo and obtain an identification card which lists the dispensary where they will procure their medicine.  (http://www.nj.com/cumberland/index.ssf/2012/04/nj_moving_forward_on_medicinal.html)

I'm glad that now it's finally happening and happening soon. It's opening in Montclair and Egg Harbor Township, two towns that can't be farther from where I live. Even if this law was not put in place, it just goes to show how super easy it is to get marijuana.