Murphy’s decision comes roughly a decade after the state implemented its medical marijuana program, enacted under Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine, but slowly implemented under Republican Chris Christie, who had a skeptical view of marijuana.
Murphy also announced that the patient fee to participate in the program would be reduced from $200 to $100, with a $20 rate for veterans and seniors. Another immediate change is the lifting of a one-caregiver per patient requirement, as well as the ability for the state’s five — soon to be six — treatment centers to be allowed to open satellite locations.
The governor is also allowing doctors who prescribe marijuana not to appear on a public registry. Murphy says there was a sense that doctors who prescribed the drug faced a stigma.