Television viewers in New Jersey are getting a whiff of broadcasting history this week: the first commercial for marijuana aired on network programming.

MarijuanaDoctors.com, an online guide for physicians who prescribe medical marijuana, picked the Garden State to roll out first TV appeal, believed the first advertising campaign of its kind in the nation.

Patients in New Jersey need a doctor's prescription in order to acquire pot from one of three state-operated dispensaries.

The two-week advertising run, which began last Saturday, will air the commercial about 800 times between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., Jason Draizin, founder and CEO of MarijuanaDoctors.com, said in a story by the Newark-based Star-Ledger newspaper.

Blending practicality with humor, the spot promotes the Website's services as a better alternative to sketchy pot peddlers on the street.

"Yo, you want sushi? I got sushi. I got the best sushi," says a dark-haired guy with a mustache and leather jacket, positioned by a garbage dumpster.

He tries to entice the buyer by flashing several examples of raw fish from under his jacket.

An off-camera narrator asks: "You wouldn't buy your sushi from this guy, so why would you buy your marijuana from him?"

Then the voice-over explains the website connects patients to doctors who can make "medical marijuana recommendations."

Draizin said his company opted to launch the campaign in New Jersey because "we wanted to make the marketplace aware of the [online] appointment-booking service," which is free for patients to use, while doctors need to pay fees to be listed on the site, he told the Star-Ledger.

Still quite new, the state's medical marijuana program is currently limited to patients identified with terminal and debilitating conditions.

Drazin indicated the Website includes listings for 450 doctors and 500 clinics -- only nine of which are in-state.

After the New Jersey campaign wraps here, the marijuana commercials will likely then be seen in Massachusetts and later on in Chicago, according to Draizin, who added his company will also do outreach online and with print media.

Draizin declined to say how much the campaign cost.

Medical marijuana is legal in 20 states and Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, Colorado and Washington state have approved the sale of pot for recreational use.