The number of patients in New Jersey’s medical marijuana program has tripled since Governor Phil Murphy took office 18 months ago and began instituting reforms.
There are now 50,000 patients, 2,000 caregivers, and 1,000 doctors participating.
“Today, three times as many New Jersey residents have access to this life-changing medical treatment than when I took office, and we will continue our work to break down barriers to ensure that this treatment is affordable and accessible for those who need it most,” Governor Murphy said in a press release.
Murphy, the governor of New Jersey since January 2018, initially expanded the program by executive order. He quickly brought dramatic changes to the program, including the addition of new qualifying conditions. Earlier this year, he added opioid addiction to the list of conditions that qualify patients for medical marijuana.
The top treated conditions in New Jersey’s medical marijuana program are chronic pain, anxiety, muscle and bone spasms, cancer, and HIV.
“We are working to expand the program even more as Jake’s Law is implemented,” said Acting Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH) Marcela Ospina Maziarz. “Every day we strive to make this a more responsive, patient-centered program, and the dramatic increase in enrollment is a testament to those efforts.”