Patients in various parts of New Jersey are running into a big-time problem: dispensaries are running out of flower. The shortage is largely the result of recent changes to the state’s medical marijuana program.
Earlier this year, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy spearheaded an effort to expand the state’s medical marijuana program in order to make cannabis more accessible to patients. Then in March, state lawmakers approved the measure.
Among a number of sweeping changes, the most significant was a change in the qualifying conditions. Previously, the state created a limited list of health conditions that would qualify for medical marijuana. But the new policy opened that up to include a much wider range of conditions that includes pretty much any diagnosed health issue.