First N.J. medical marijuana facility to open Thursday in Montclair....




Robert Sciarrino/The Star-Ledger
The Greenleaf Compassion Center, a medical marijuana dispensary in Montclair that will open soon.
MONTCLAIR ? New Jersey's first medical marijuana dispensary will open Thursday.

The five-member Board of Trustees for Greenleaf Compassion Center in Montclair initially will be seeing patients by appointment only, starting 10 a.m Thursday, said Joe Stevens, board member and Greenleaf co-founder.

About 20 patients have been scheduled to meet with Greenleaf staff Thursday to fill out paperwork and discuss their medical history and how the drug might help alleviate their symptoms. They will walk away with the first legal marijuana sold in the state.

Greenleaf staff are calling patients in the order the state issued their identification cards, Stevens said. People who show up without an appointment will not be seen, he said.

"Patients have been waiting patiently, and we want to be fair," Stevens said today.

Greenleaf's opening is a long time coming. In January, New Jersey's medical marijuana law will be three years old. Gov. Chris Christie was required to implement the program when he took office in January and he fought with lawmakers and advocates over the rules. There were problems with screening potential dispensary operators that bogged down progress. The governor repeatedly stressed New Jersey would in no way resemble Colorado and California, which have set lax rules on who can participate.

"People will have a place that is safe and secure. They won't have to hide in the shadows anymore," said Julio Valentin, a board member and one of the original founders.

"We are extremely excited to serve the patients of New Jersey and humbled the state gave us a permit to let us do this," Stevens said.

Patients are limited to no more than two ounces of pot a month, but physicians may recommend less. Greenleaf plans to sell no more than a half-ounce initially so the supply can stretch to every registered patient, board members said.

"We are asking for their cooperation and patience right now. Going forward, those limitations will be lifted," said Parita Patel, an attorney and board member.

The state Department of Health has registered 338 patients, with another 61 whose applications are under review, state spokeswoman Donna Leusner said.

Roseanne Scotti, director of New Jersey Drug Policy Alliance, one of the advocacy groups that helped get the law passed, called the announcement "an incredible and historic moment."

"As of tomorrow, some seriously ill patients in New Jersey will have safe and legal medical marijuana. They, and their families will not have to fear arrest. They will not have fear the dangers of an illegal market. For these patients, whether to use medical marijuana will a decision between them and their doctors?as it should be," Scotti said.

"We are grateful to the Department of Health for getting us to this point and we look forward to the opening of the other Alternative Treatment Centers," she added.

Renovations of the former tobacco "head shop" at 395 Bloomfield Avenue began a year ago. Board members have invested more than $450,000 of their own money in construction, design, software costs as well as permits and fees. The health department charged a $20,000 application fee.


On Oct. 15th, Health Commissioner Mary O'Dowd issued a final permit allowing Greenleaf to open, but the dispensary's marijuana still needed to undergo testing to show it was free from pesticides, mold and fungus. The department also required the potency to be measured of the product's best known active ingredient, THC. O'Dowd said Greenleaf's marijuana passed all the tests about a month ago, after some Hurricane Sandy delays.

Greenleaf delayed opening several weeks longer until Gov. Christie's administration decided whether pot purchased would be subject to the state 7 percent sales tax. O'Dowd said through a spokeswoman Greenleaf would not have been responsible for any uncollected tax if the owners wanted to open before the Treasury Department rendered a decision but Stevens said he wanted to play it safe.

State employees will be on the premises Thursday to monitor the operation, Stevens said.

Other board members are Jordan Matthews, an attorney, and Sanjeev Patel, a hotel developer.

Greenleaf's board asked that media and the public to respect the privacy of patients who come to the dispensary to be served. "We want to make it as comfortable as possible for the patients."

Patients must pay in cash. People who can demonstrate they are low-income will be eligible for a discount on the medication, Matthews said.

Half of the registered patients have qualified for the discounted registration fee of $20 versus $200 for other patients, Leusner said.

The ID cards are good for two years, with a doctor reviewing the recommendation every three months, Leusner said. Given the delays in the program, the state asked physicians if they would extend their approval for another 90 days, and the doctors agreed.
JJ