Not long ago, New Jersey had a medical marijuana program restricted to no more than 20,000 people, but that was the Gov. Chris Christie era. The campaign cannabis promises of new Gov. Philip Murphy are quickly becoming true. New Jersey is not only shaping up as the next big market for cannabis entrepreneurs, it’s also a good civics lesson on how one election can radically change public policy.
Murphy, an advocate for both medical and recreational marijuana during the campaign, acted in his first two months in office to expand the number of conditions that can be legally treated in New Jersey’s medical marijuana program. That’s something Christie had refused to do, saying it was a backdoor to legalization of recreational marijuana. Murphy said Christie’s view constrained the system. He’s expanded the conditions that can be legally treated with cannabis to include chronic pain, anxiety and migraines.