Ken Wolski, Executive Director and Co-founder of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana-New Jersey, said that since Governor Phil Murphy issued Executive Order No. 6pdf at the start of 2018, fees for the medical marijuana program have been reduced, and an additional 10,000 people have signed up since the governor took office. An expansion of allowable medical conditions now includes chronic pain related to musculoskeletal disorders, migraine, anxiety, chronic pain of visceral origin, and Tourette's syndrome.
Todd Conforti, who is the Chief of Police in Montclair Township, said that a dispensary was opened in his town in 2012. He mentioned it is secure, has had no calls for service, and there is no loitering outside the facility. A person needs to be buzzed in and possess a medical card. He said the dispensary is just another business in town that is regulated, and there has been no uptick in crime.
Alex Stone is the CEO of Stone and the Family Canna Co. His company provides strategic planning and marketing advice, and strives to make an impact on urban youth. He and Alex Santana, Director, Wipro Digital & Designit, said that an allotted number of licenses should go to minorities.
Scott Rudder, President of the Board of Directors for the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association, ticked off issues that people bring up in opposition of legalizing marijuana like addictive properties, impaired driving and traffic fatalities; he countered that accidents are up because of people looking at their phones while driving, and it is no more addictive than sugar.