Lawmakers on New Jersey’s State Assembly Health Committee just voted on legislation that would massively overhaul the state’s medical cannabis laws. The committee’s vote marks the first step toward deciding whether New Jersey moves forward with medical marijuana program expansion, or not. And despite Republican opposition, Democrats were able to gather enough votes to approve the measure in committee. If the bill ultimately becomes law, the medical cannabis landscape in New Jersey would change dramatically. Here’s how.
Legislators Move To Massively Overhaul New Jersey’s Medical Cannabis Laws
Like other medical marijuana states, New Jersey has set strict limits on medical marijuana. These rules govern who qualifies to use cannabis-based treatments, who’s authorized to prescribe them, and what kinds of medicine manufacturers can produce and sell.
The new legislation brought to the Assembly Health Committee, however, would do away with most of those restrictions. For patients, that means wider, more expansive access to legal medical cannabis.
“There is no benefit in denying a patient relief,” said Assemblyperson Herb Conaway (D-Burlington), chair of the Health Committee. The Health Committee approved the measure on Thursday.
The changes the measure proposes are sweeping. Most significantly, it would eliminate restrictions based on qualifying conditions. Instead, the new measure would make medical cannabis available for any diagnosed condition.
The measure would also permit physicians to recommend medical cannabis treatments for any condition. And further, physicians would no longer have the requirement of enrolling in a public registry in order to give a patient a marijuana recommendation.
The same goes for patients, who would also no longer need a certification from their doctor.
Those changes alone would be enough to significantly expand New Jersey’s medical marijuana program. But the measure goes even further.