After many delays, officials in New Jersey announced today that Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center in Montclair is getting the first license in the state to open and distribute medical marijuana.

State Health Commissioner Mary O’Dowd says she expects the dispensary will not be able to open immediately, but that the operators can begin scheduling appointments with qualified patients. Meanwhile, five other centers have been picked by the state and are hoping to open sometime in the future.

Many activists lament the restrictions in New Jersey’s medical marijuana law, something that has kept the number of registered patients low. One has to wonder just how many patients will be getting actual relief under the program, and how many will be left out in the cold.

In any case, it’s a start and advocates in NJ can now focus on adding improvements and qualifying conditions to the law.

- Joe Klare

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