‘Let Us Home Grow,’ New Jersey Marijuana Advocates Say

New Jersey may be on the brink of legalizing recreational marijuana, but some pro-cannabis advocates are urging the state to keep the movement growing… literally.

On Thursday, several registered medical marijuana patients in the Garden State were expected to gather in Trenton at the Capitol Building to ask state legislators and Governor-Elect Phil Murphy to allow for home cultivation of cannabis in any legalization effort.

“Home cultivation empowers patients to take charge of their own healthcare, to grow their own medicine for pennies and to choose the specific strains that best helps their medical conditions,” said Ken Wolski, executive director of the Coalition of Medical Marijuana New Jersey.

In a 180-degree departure from the policies of unpopular exiting Governor Chris Christie – who called marijuana legalization “stupid” and has opposed the concept throughout his tenure - Murphy has pledged to help fast-track the legalization of cannabis in New Jersey.

• See related article: NJ Pot Legalization Expected Soon (What You Need To Know)

While several legislative efforts to legalize marijuana have been floated in New Jersey over the past few years, the apparent front-runner may be Sen. Nicholas Scutari’s proposal, which has gained the support of State Senate President Stephen Sweeney.

Scutari’s bill would allow the possession and personal use of small amounts — one ounce or less — of marijuana for people age 21 and over. However, it would not allow for home growing of cannabis.

• See related article: NJ Senator's Marijuana Legalization Bill Would Tax, Regulate Weed

Members of the group behind Thursday’s rally, the Coalition of Medical Marijuana New Jersey (CMMNJ), stressed that there are many patients in the state who are serving prison time for growing “a handful of plants.”

Peter Rosenfeld, a CMMNJ board member, pointed out that caregivers and patients originally expected the ability to home garden under state’s Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana Act until the provision was removed in 2009.

Now, almost a decade later, the promises of a robust medical marijuana program have been broken, Rosenfeld charged.

“Patients are still being arrested or moving away due to the problems in the state's program,” Rosenfeld said. “The price is unaffordable to many, and the dispensaries have difficulty in staying stocked with the strains that patients need.”

According to the NJ Department of Health (DOH), in March 2015, the price of one ounce of medicinal marijuana dispensed by New Jersey ATCs ranged from $425 to $520, with an average price of $489. Comparatively, the average price of an ounce of black market marijuana in New Jersey was $400 to $450 per ounce.

New Jersey's average price for medical marijuana was greater than Arizona ($300 per ounce), New Mexico ($284), Vermont ($358), Maine ($300) and Rhode Island ($311), officials said.

• See related article: New Jersey Medical Marijuana Program Gets 'C' Grade In Annual Study
• See related article: NJ Approves Permit For 6th Medical Marijuana Dispensary

An online survey conducted by Harris Poll in January suggested that 38.8 million adults in the U.S., or 16% of all Americans, would grow marijuana at home if it was legal.

“A year or two of research doesn’t establish a trend yet, but the jump in these numbers is pretty significant,” industry analyist Paul Cohen said. “The largest number of adults most likely to grow marijuana themselves are 18 to 34-year-olds, followed by baby boomers aged 55 and over.”

• See related article: 14 Marijuana Jobs In New Jersey: 'Cannabusiness' Grows In The Garden State

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Main Photo: GB Sciences