New Jersey’s medical cannabis program is growing by 3,800 new patients monthly, Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Health Medicinal Marijuana Program Jeff Brown told a crowd of cannabis industry folks in Edison Tuesday.
When he took his post in March 2018, the state’s canopy, or the cannabis it produced, included 45,000 plants that supported 2,000-3,000 pounds of cannabis on any given day for 13,000 patients. Two years and over 50,000 more patients later, state cannabis producers cultivate 260,000 plants, supporting 8,000 pounds of flower on the market.
Brown was the keynote at NJ Cannabis Insider Live at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center. Although the 2019 RFA process is currently paused by a court order, which he noted the Department of Health is abiding by, plenty is still going on behind the scenes at the DOH.
“The next thing on the docket is the ability for advanced practice nurses and physicians’ assistants to be able to authorize patients for cannabis. We hope to have that activity very soon,” Brown said.