Tee Franklin drove two hours earlier this week from Lumberton to Secaucus to pick up her prescription of medical marijuana from Harmony Dispensary.
But when she got there, she said, a long line of cars, each with a patient waiting their turn in line, greeted her. As an immunocompromised person battling chronic pain, the crowds worried her.
She’s not alone.
Many patients in the medical marijuana program have immune issues or other comorbid conditions that could make them more susceptible to contracting a serious case of coronavirus. Others are battling chronic pain, anxiety or seizures, and have flooded dispensaries around New Jersey to stock up in case of a possible quarantine.
“Just one person and the whole line can be wiped out,” Franklin told NJ Advance Media. “My anxiety has been through the roof. This could be the end of me.”