These Limits Are Ridiculous
Among the glaring items that need fixing: An onerous recertification process that requires some patients to get a doctor’s note every 30, 60, or 90 days. In New Jersey, a Medicinal Marijuana Program (MMP) card is valid for two years. However, the law requires a patient with a card to return to the doctor at least every 90 days for recertification.
In practice, this means a patient with a chronic condition can be forced to take the work time and expense to revisit a doctor every 30 to 90 days to get re-certified for a condition that is not expected to heal within a month—or even years.
No Initiative Process Available
New Jersey does not have a statewide initiative process, so any statewide vote on the issue would only result in a non-binding advisory. The Legislature would still have to act on that vote and pass a legalization bill, and that process can be appallingly slow. For instance, the state’s compassionate use medical marijuana act (CUMA) was introduced in 2005 and did not pass until 2010.