muscle spasms
Jersey Officials seem more preoccupied with Corruption and Bureaucracy instead of Compassion
Although there has been incremental progress in trying to institute New Jersey’s medical marijuana program, the delays are highlighting the ineptitude of modern government. New Jersey passed legislation permitting medical marijuana use over two years ago in January of 2010. Since that time, patients have witnessed a litany of delays which include opposition from Governor Christie, local zoning resistance for dispensaries, and political squabbling.
A new story in the news cycle may also explain why New Jersey officials have been dragging their feet. It apparently may be more desirable for New Jersey authorities to profit off marijuana as an illegal substance as opposed to regulating it legally. A municipal prosecutor representing the township of North Bergen has been charged with aiding two giant marijuana operations launder their money. Marcanton Macri was freed over the weekend after posting his $50,000 bail. One of the men Marci conspired with was the manager of a local bank. The forty-four year old attorney is officially being charged with financial facilitation and money laundering charges.
While Marcanton Macri may represent the dysfunction of government officials, Rich Caporusso symbolizes the frustration patients are experiencing in New Jersey. Years ago he noticed a sick family member benefiting greatly from medical marijuana use. Now over a decade later, Mr. Caporusso suffers from muscle spasms and Crohn’s Disease. His condition qualifies for medical marijuana use in New Jersey. However such a program is not operational at this time. The former corrections officer is on disability due to injuries he suffered on the job, making his situation even more desperate. He is seeking medical marijuana but says that New Jersey lawmakers have set up “a million roadblocks.” He and his physician have now filed a lawsuit against the state’s Department of Health and have accused them of intentionally delaying the program. The program was set to start on July 1, 2010 after former Governor Corzine approved the legislation. Lawmakers extended the deadline by 3 months, but an additional year and a half delay has angered patients.
Rich Caporusso is an actual person and if lawmakers were to actually interact with the suffering patients they legislate against, they may not take these decisions so lightly. Caporusso suffers and can be arrested seeking relief while Marcanton Marci is out on bail and reaps the benefits of marijuana’s black market. If Rich Caporusso and his physician are successful they may be able to eliminate avenues of corruption for Marci, grant compassionate relief for the sick, and show the legislators of New Jersey that bureaucracy will stop hurting patients and start hurting political careers.
A Look at Who Uses Medical Marijuana
Any new studies on medical marijuana are interesting because we only are recently coming out of the dark ages, a decades long moratorium on marijuana research. A recent study conducted at University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC), focused on the demographics of those with medical marijuana cards. Primarily, this study was concerned with residents from the state of California.
The findings were very interesting and shed light on who is actually using medical cannabis. Of all marijuana card holders in California, 73% are male, with 62% being white. Craig Reinarman, the professor in charge of conducting this research, compared his findings with U.S. Census data. He found that cannabis users are “on average somewhat younger, report slightly more years of formal education and are more often employed than the general population.”
Some of these findings likely confirmed stereotypes while much of the data certainly defies other long held beliefs. For one, it is interesting to note that California marijuana card holders are more likely to be employed. Additionally, this study shed light on why marijuana is being used. While some believe it only to have social value, the study breaks down the ailments that card holders are treating with cannabis. The most common issue being treated with marijuana was neck/back pain. Other prominent conditions being treated were sleep disorders, anxiety/depression, muscle spasms, and arthritis. One statistic that was uncovered in the research was very telling. Of all card holders, 80% said they had tried prescription medication first. After they did not find desired results and treatment, they turned to medical marijuana.
More research is expected to be done in this area. It would be interesting to see if other states produce similar data. Marijuana research is still rubbing the crust out of its eyes after a long hibernation, but we’ll stay tuned for more up to date research.
For more information on the UCSC report, go to:
MercuryNews.com | UCSC report: Who uses medical marijuana and for what ailments?