New Jersey Health Commissioner Shereef Elnahal came to the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School to share the state’s approach to its growing medicinal marijuana program.
Elnahal says 6,000 more New Jerseyans have sought medicinal marijuana since Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive order in March added conditions to qualify. 22,000 already receive it from more than 600 doctors who recommend it. The commissioner came to recruit more doctors.
“I want this to be in physicians’ and other providers’ heads as a therapeutic option,” Elnahal said.
Why? Elnahal conceded New Jersey’s program for medicinal marijuana lacks hard scientific evidence and relies mostly on anecdotal reporting.
“Many times, it really is the best therapy you can give them for particular conditions,” Elnahal said.
He ran through a series of ailments and conditions, pointing out different levels of improvement, including one for opioid abuse.
“We have another piece of evidence that availability of marijuana has a positive effect in terms of reducing opioid prescriptions,” Elnahal said.