Prescriptions for N.J. marijuana hard to get

Many of the doctors who recently registered with New Jersey's medical marijuana program are not accepting new patients, while some are charging nearly $500 in cash for visits before they will recommend the drug.

That may explain why only 130 patients have signed up so far for the state's new program, say members of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana-New Jersey, a patient advocacy group that has been pushing for the alternative pain relief for more than five years. In Arizona, more than 700 patients applied to use marijuana when that state's program opened last year.

"I wondered what it would be like for a hospice patient to try to navigate the program and to find a doctor," said Vanessa Waltz, a coalition board member who telephoned all 148 doctors listed on the state Department of Health's website last month when the patient registry was launched.

Since then, the number has grown to 160 doctors - out of nearly 36,000 licensed physicians in the state.

The program is not yet operational as no marijuana dispensary has received final approvals to sell to patients. A dispensary in Montclair, Essex County, is expecting to open this month.

Waltz, a breast cancer survivor who made the calls as a patient advocate, said that a lot of her voice mails were not returned and that she encountered a few rude receptionists who told her not to call again because their doctors were not in the program despite what the registry said.

She said she also spoke with several polite office staffers who told her they had been swamped with calls and had to withdraw from the program.

"It was very frustrating," said Waltz, who compiled a "white paper" with her findings. Of the 148 listed, more than 50 doctors across the state would have turned her away, while only 46 were willing to sign people up. The rest could not be reached.

An informal survey conducted by The Inquirer netted similar results. Of about 20 registered doctors in South Jersey, only three were readily available to give patients an appointment: Mark Angelo in Voorhees, Marshall Lauer in Collingswood, and Julius Mingroni in Blackwood.

Three physicians who practice in Williamstown, Gloucester County, were registered with New Jersey and with http://www.marijuanadoctors.com, a national organization of doctors who recommend the drug. They did not return calls, but their website said they will accept $150 in cash only for each of two to three required visits before they decide whether a patient is qualified to receive marijuana.

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Prescriptions for N.J. marijuana hard to get