New Jersey’s first medical marijuana dispensary opens today

New Jersey’s first medical marijuana dispensary will open Thursday, health officials confirmed yesterday.

Greenleaf Compassion Center in Montclair, N.J., was the first dispensary approved in the Garden State. The center is expected to serve the first 20 patients who registered for the drug.

Patients and caregivers were given identification cards from the Medical Marijuana Program, which they must bring with them to their appointment. Greenleaf is expected to scheduled appointments with patients based on the order in which they registered.

In October, about 320 patients had either registered with the program or were in the process of registering, and 175 physicians had registered, according to the state health department.

Five other Alternative Treatment Centers are in the process of receiving necessary approvals before they can serve patients.