April 30, 2015
Medical marijuana use in New Jersey is expensive.
So marijuana patients and advocates have decided to take a stand with a rally in Camden this weekend, the Courier-Post reports.
More than 150 people have signed up on the Facebook page to attend Saturday's event: "Poor People's Parade for Pot."
Before a patient can take his first dose, he has to shell out $200 to register in the state's medical marijuana program, pay at least three visits to a registered doctor, and cough up another $535 per ounce — about double the black market price — for cannabis sold in one of the state's three dispensaries.
Advocates argue that the current program is biased against low-income patients, as they are vulnerable to arrest if they obtain cheaper, illegal cannabis.
The sidewalk demonstration will begin at 2 p.m. at Camden City Hall, with a public smoke-in at 4:20 p.m. at Johnson Park.
"The program was designed for the middle and upper class," Ricardo Rivera, of Camden County, told the Courier-Post. "But disease doesn't care where you come from. It hits all classes of society, poor or rich. Everyone should have the right to be properly medicated."
Read more from the Courier-Post.
