New Jersey lawmakers took another step toward making medical marijuana expenses eligible for workers' compensation and some other insurance coverage Monday.
The state Assembly appropriations committee advanced a bill (A1708) that requires workers' compensation and personal injury protection (PIP) auto insurance benefits to cover medical marijuana under certain circumstances. The person must be a patient enrolled in the state’s medical marijuana program.
The bill was approved by the state Assembly committee on financial institutions in February. Monday marked the first time it came back into play since the coronavirus outbreak has dominated the Legislature. It cleared the committee by a vote of 7-4.
While 33 states, including New Jersey, have legalized marijuana for medical use, it remains a schedule 1 controlled substance at the federal level. That makes any consumption of marijuana illegal under federal law. Patients have had to pay out of pocket for marijuana, as insurers argue covering the cost will put them in violation of federal law.
But the feds have largely left marijuana in the hands of the states.