By Briana Vannozzi
Correspondent
“It’s been a godsend to me,” said Ward Sampino.
Sampino used to drive nearly 90 minutes from his home in Hamilton to fill his medical marijuana prescription for glaucoma. Now it’ll only take about twenty to the newly opened Breakwater Treatment and Wellness Center, in Cranbury.
“I have high blood pressure and it might go up to 40, since I’ve been on it my pressure has been decreased down to 18,” Sampino said.
This is the fifth dispensary to open in New Jersey, with a final one still under review. Patients and facility owners-who praise the state’s health department, still say it’s been a slow regulatory process.
“We spent about 18 months going to different municipalities in New Jersey speaking with mayors and council people. Most said they supported medical marijuana, but they said not in our town,” said Co-founder Alex Zaleski.
“One of my dad’s good friends suffered from ALS and we saw first hand the pain that he went through. However, he was able to use cannabis and get a lot of benefit out of it,” said operations manager Andrew Zaleski.
New jersey has 5,540 registered patients participating in the medicinal marijuana program. With 355 caregivers authorized to do pickups for patients who are unable, and about 350 participating physicians, according to the Health Department.
“We offer four strains; blueberry, ak47, durban poison and we have a CBB strain, 1-1 ratio, and that’s catatonic,” Andrew Zaleski said.
Right now the state permits patients with muscular dystophy, Mutliple Scleroris, terminal illnesses and cancer, as well as several other diseases to participate. They’re also reviewing conditions like PTSD to be added to this list.
From start to finish, Breakwater says they take every measure to ensure the integrity of the product, so they sell it in these UV protected jars to keep it from any light or sun damage.
“We are the lowest priced in New Jersey. It’s $115 for a quarter ounce and $58 dollars for an eighth,” Andrew Zaleski said.
“It’s not cheap,” said Jay Lassiter. “Its not a poor man’s solution, not yet.”
In fact, New Jersey reportedly has the most expensive medical marijuana prices in the nation. Growers say they need multiple licenses to operate here and the plants take tedious labor.
“The state charges $200 dollars just to get a pot ID, more or less. And honestly, the bureaucracy that governs this program, as well as the costs associated with it, unfortunately make it cost prohibitive still for many patients,” Lassiter said.
The facility has close to 50 patients in just its second day. They’ll be able to serve up to 3,000 patients.