The New Jersey medical marijuana program implemented several years ago could soon be expanded to allow more people to qualify for treatment, depending on whether the NJ Department of Health opts to add medical conditions to the list of qualifying conditions and illnesses. Starting on August 1, 2016, individuals with suggestions for new additions to the state’s official list of medical conditions should visit the New Jersey Department of Health website, download a form, and mail it to state health officials.
The State of New Jersey has formed a medical review panel that will evaluate the medical conditions suggested by NJ residents and provide recommendations to the NJ Health Department. State officials will then decide whether to change official medical marijuana policy in New Jersey, which would represent the first instance of public suggestions affecting the NJ medical marijuana program since it was initially launched in 2010.
What Are the Chronic Health Conditions That Qualify for Medical Marijuana Camden County, NJ
If you are considering using marijuana for medicinal purposes or for other reasons, you need to understand that the penalties for drug crimes in New Jersey are particularly harsh. You can also expect NJ judges to impose maximum punishments in drug offense cases, which means that you could be looking at significant jail time on a marijuana possession or marijuana distribution conviction.
A major exception to the state’s tough marijuana laws does exist: the exception for medical marijuana use in New Jersey. A person who suffers from a qualifying health condition or illness can avoid prosecution if they use pot to treat their medical condition.
So what medical conditions do, and do not, qualify under the existing NJ medical marijuana program? One condition that presently does not qualify for medical pot treatment is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), despite repeated efforts by legislators in Trenton NJ to get PTSD added to the list of qualifying conditions.
New Jersey law allows for people afflicted with the following illnesses and medical conditions to participate in the medical pot program:
- Multiple sclerosis
- Terminal cancer
- Lou Gehrig’s disease
- Muscular dystrophy
- Inflammatory bowel disease (including Crohn’s disease)
- Any other terminal illness
It should also be noted that individuals dealing with seizure disorders or glaucoma may be able to qualify for medical marijuana treatment, so long as their condition has not improved through conventional treatment. Beyond that, people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS could qualify for the NJ medical pot program if their treatment plans are not effective and have led to adverse health effects like severe or chronic pain, severe nausea, or vomiting.
According to research by NJ.com, 8,162 patients and 472 caregivers are registered with the NJ medical marijuana program. An individual can qualify to become an official caregiver by passing a background check by the state. After qualifying, the caregiver can then pick up marijuana from a registered medical marijuana dispensary and take it to patients’ residences.
Caregivers need to be licensed by the State of New Jersey. An unlicensed caregiver is committing a crime and can be prosecuted for simple possession of marijuana or possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
At present, there are five official medical marijuana dispensaries in New Jersey, including dispensaries in Cranbury, Woodbridge, Montclair, Egg Harbor, and Bellmawr. The state has also approved a sixth medical marijuana facility, which will open in Secaucus NJ sometime this year.
