The key to finally getting down to brass tacks on New Jersey's medical marijuana program appears to be getting down to a grass tax.

With agreement on a plan to impose the 7 percent state sales tax on prescribed marijuana in place, the first dispensary center in Montclair could open its doors by the end of the year.

That would be just about three years since the measure allowing use of marijuana for treatment of the chronic pain of some illnesses was signed into law by former Gov. Jon Corzine.

What a long, strange trip it’s been. Red tape and high hurdles have hindered progress along every step of the process. Applying a sales tax adds insult to inertia.

Assemblyman Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) who, along with Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer), has championed of the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, says the tax has always been part of the plan.

That was never stated in the legislation. And it doesn't make much sense to single out the marijuana for taxation when New Jersey does not tax any other prescription medicine.

It also perpetuates the perception that medical marijuana, though legal, is somehow illicit, as if the likes of Cheech and Chong are going to be able to finagle a prescription and show up at a distribution center ready to party.

The New Jersey program is considered to be among the most restrictive in the country. Only patients with qualifying conditions who have been screened by a doctor and approved for inclusion in the program will have access to the medication.

It’s not for recreational purpose and it’s not a gateway to reefer madness. It’s a legitimate treatment for chronic pain.

Those in favor of the tax argue that other states tax medical marijuana. Other states have also decriminalized possession of small amounts of pot for recreational use. Two have legalized it. Even though those measures would represent a perfectly acceptable tax bonanza, New Jersey does not seem any too keen to follow those examples.

The 300 or so patients who have qualified for the program, as well as nearly 150 more in the application and screening process, have been waiting for years for relief from chronic pain few of us can imagine. Despite that suffering, they’re trying to do the right thing in forgoing illegal purchases of street drugs.

New Jersey should also do the right thing, the compassionate thing, and exempt medical marijuana from taxation.

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