Qualifying for Medical Marijuana in New Jersey

To keep up with this week’s theme of laws and regulations being passed, the Law Offices of Anthony Carbone thought it would be timely to write about the new additions to New Jersey’s medical marijuana program.

This past Tuesday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy broadened the qualifications of the state’s medical marijuana program. According to the Governor, the program will be “compassionate” and “meet the needs of patients.” The state’s Department of Health made the recommendations to the new qualifications for medical marijuana. But, what does this all mean?

For the previous eight years, New Jersey has been using medical marijuana to treat patients with debilitating medical conditions. According to the state’s health department, the medical conditions that were previously and still currently covered include:

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s Disease)
• Multiple sclerosis
• Terminal cancer
• Muscular dystrophy
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Terminal illness
• Epilepsy and other seizure disorders
• Intractable skeletal muscular spasticity
• Glaucoma
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• HIV and AIDS
• Various forms of cancer

In the new legislation that was passed this, medical marijuana can now be used to treat the following illnesses and conditions in the Garden State:

• Anxiety
• Migraines
• Tourette Syndrome
• Chronic pain caused by musculoskeletal disorders
• Chronic pain from an internal origin

More conditions were recommended, such as arthritis, asthma, and fatigue, but were dismissed. Gov. Murphy hinted at more conditions being covered by the state’s medical marijuana program in the future.

Other changes were made to the program too. They include reduced costs for the registration fee of treatment, especially for veterans and senior citizens; along with more satellite locations to keep up with the growing demand for medical treatments. Doctors no longer need to put their names into the program’s registry either.

Can I Get A Prescription?

It depends. Your doctor must be actively treating you for at least a year while having completed a thorough medical review to determine if your condition or symptoms can improve with the treatment of medical marijuana. And if you are thinking your health insurance provider will cover your medical marijuana costs, you are mistaken.

Medical marijuana is expensive. One ounce is roughly $500, not including sales tax. In fact, the Garden State has the most expensive medical marijuana program in the entire country, but that problem hopes to be addressed sooner rather later. Currently, the maximum amount of medical marijuana that can be purchased is two ounces per month.

Medical Marijuana and the Law

When it comes to the law, specifically New Jersey employment laws, medical marijuana use is not protected in the workplace. Many people who bring lawsuits forward in an attempt to gain their job back ultimately end up losing. Why? Because marijuana use and possession are against federal laws.

For more information about medical marijuana in New Jersey, visit the state’s Health Department to learn more. If you ever run into an issue involving the state’s laws and regulations governing medical marijuana use, you are going to need the help of an experienced attorney.

Contact the Law Offices of Anthony Carbone today. We will evaluate your case for free to see if we can bring you justice.

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