“We are pleased to announce that, as of today, opioid use disorder is a condition for which physicians can recommend medical marijuana to patients,” Dr. Shereef Elnahal, the state health commissioner, said in a press release. “We are also taking steps to ensure that these patients will be on MAT for their addiction, in addition to marijuana.”
Previously, individuals addicted to opioids could only qualify for medical cannabis if they became dependent while attempting to treat chronic pain caused by a musculoskeletal disorder.
The health department announced that it was exploring adding opioid addiction to the list of qualifying conditions in October. Elnahal said at the time that physicians “should consider marijuana as another appropriate treatment for patients with many medical conditions, especially diseases for which conventional therapies aren’t working for their patients.”
The development comes as Murphy and legislative leaders seem to be at an impasse over provisions of a proposal to more broadly legalize marijuana for recreational use.
While legislative committees approved a legalization bill late last year, leaders have not brought the measure to the floor of either chamber in light of disagreements with the governor. At issue is the proposed tax rate for retail cannabis sales, as well as how the industry would be regulated.