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Days before the second medicinal marijuana shop opens in New Jersey, the dispensary's owners held a building dedication ceremony yesterday in memory of an ardent patient advocate who helped get the law passed but died before she could become a customer. Diane Riportella's family, friends and fellow advocates gathered at Compassionate Care Foundation, Inc. in Egg Harbor Township to pay tribute to her efforts that help persuade state lawmakers to legalize medical marijuana in 2010. Riportella, 56, died Aug. 31, 2012 from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, three months before the first dispensary opened in Montclair. "She was the voice, the person who made sure she was up front and spoke the loudest to make sure she would be heard," said her husband, Paul Riportella.
That meant coming to legislative hearings in a wheelchair with an oxygen tank, said Roseanne Scotti, director of the New Jersey Drug Policy Alliance, who worked closely with Riportella to lobby for the law's passage. "She really was our hero," said Scotti, who also attended the ceremony. "She had one of the most debilitating conditions – ALS is a horrible, horrible disease. She was very sick when she started working with us, but that did not stop her. No matter how sick she got, she had the most incredible attitude."
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive neuro-degenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord and leads to paralysis, according to the ALS Association. The plaque in the dispensary's reception center bearing a photo of Riportella reads: "This building is dedicated to the memory of Diane Riportella, advocate of the sick and suffering, whose heart and mind did not let ALS keep her from helping others and whose legacy lives on here." Paul Riportella said he took the photo in 2006, a year before her diagnosis.
Riportella said he is grateful dispensary CEO Bill Thomas and his partners wanted to honor his wife's memory, particularly because the dispensary is located in the municipality where he and his wife lived. "I wish she could have seen it open. She would have been at the front door greeting people," he said. "This was the culmination of everything coming together."
Compassionate Care intends to open Oct. 28 by appointment only, according to Thomas. The health department is conducting tests on the marijuana to see if it meets potency standards and is free of mold and pesticides, state Health Department spokeswoman Donna Leusner said. There are 1,317 registered patients in the program, Leusner said. Thomas has said his facility would be able to serve 500 of them right away, and a total of 1,500 when an expansion is completed.
After the ceremony, Scotti said Thomas led a tour of the facility occupying a former warehouse as workers harvested the plants. Some 600 patients have elected to use the Egg Harbor facility as their dispensary, Thomas said. The Health Department has asked Compassionate Care to meet with patients in the order in which they signed up, he said, noting that some people have been waiting a year. About 130 patients have been served at Greenleaf Compassion Center in Montclair.
News Hawk - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Nj.com
Author: Susan Livio
Contact: Contact Us - NJ.com
Website: Egg Harbor medical marijuana dispensary dedicates building to activist | NJ.com
That meant coming to legislative hearings in a wheelchair with an oxygen tank, said Roseanne Scotti, director of the New Jersey Drug Policy Alliance, who worked closely with Riportella to lobby for the law's passage. "She really was our hero," said Scotti, who also attended the ceremony. "She had one of the most debilitating conditions – ALS is a horrible, horrible disease. She was very sick when she started working with us, but that did not stop her. No matter how sick she got, she had the most incredible attitude."
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive neuro-degenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord and leads to paralysis, according to the ALS Association. The plaque in the dispensary's reception center bearing a photo of Riportella reads: "This building is dedicated to the memory of Diane Riportella, advocate of the sick and suffering, whose heart and mind did not let ALS keep her from helping others and whose legacy lives on here." Paul Riportella said he took the photo in 2006, a year before her diagnosis.
Riportella said he is grateful dispensary CEO Bill Thomas and his partners wanted to honor his wife's memory, particularly because the dispensary is located in the municipality where he and his wife lived. "I wish she could have seen it open. She would have been at the front door greeting people," he said. "This was the culmination of everything coming together."
Compassionate Care intends to open Oct. 28 by appointment only, according to Thomas. The health department is conducting tests on the marijuana to see if it meets potency standards and is free of mold and pesticides, state Health Department spokeswoman Donna Leusner said. There are 1,317 registered patients in the program, Leusner said. Thomas has said his facility would be able to serve 500 of them right away, and a total of 1,500 when an expansion is completed.
After the ceremony, Scotti said Thomas led a tour of the facility occupying a former warehouse as workers harvested the plants. Some 600 patients have elected to use the Egg Harbor facility as their dispensary, Thomas said. The Health Department has asked Compassionate Care to meet with patients in the order in which they signed up, he said, noting that some people have been waiting a year. About 130 patients have been served at Greenleaf Compassion Center in Montclair.
News Hawk - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Nj.com
Author: Susan Livio
Contact: Contact Us - NJ.com
Website: Egg Harbor medical marijuana dispensary dedicates building to activist | NJ.com
