To the Editor:

I was disappointed that Princeton’s Communiversity rejected the application of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana—New Jersey (CMMNJ) for an information booth at its annual event.

CMMNJ, based in Mercer County, was founded in 2003 and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization. There is a desperate need for honest education about marijuana in our community. For decades, the federal government has been exaggerating the dangers associated with marijuana and denying its medical benefits. Now New Jersey is in the process of greatly expanding its Medicinal Marijuana Program, and the state even plans to legalize marijuana for adult use.

It is uncharacteristically unbecoming of the Princeton community and university to reject educational information about an issue—even one as controversial as marijuana. This is especially true since the recent discovery of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS), the emerging field of bioscience that explains how marijuana actually works in the human body. Researcher Pal Pacher, MD, PhD says, “ECS activity may have therapeutic potential in almost all diseases affecting humans.” Jahan Marcu, PhD adds, “The future of therapeutics depends heavily on understanding this system.”

Ignoring this issue will not make it go away. It only perpetuates ignorance and needless suffering.

Ken Wolski, RN, MPA

Executive Director

Coalition for Medical Marijuana—New Jersey