Understanding New Jersey’s Medical Cannabis Expansion Law
On July 2, 2019, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed Assembly Bill 20 (AB 20 or the Act). AB 20’s expansion of New Jersey’s current medical cannabis program includes:
On July 2, 2019, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed Assembly Bill 20 (AB 20 or the Act). AB 20’s expansion of New Jersey’s current medical cannabis program includes:
Q: Do cigarette smoking rules apply for smoking medical marijuana in public? (T.J.)
A: It's a little tricky, T.J.
Essentially, New Jersey state law requires medical marijuana patients to follow existing no-smoking restrictions. That means no smoking on public transportation, in bars, parks or beaches. No school zones.
A hotel can kick you out if you smoke medical marijuana there. And while you are technically allowed to smoke medical marijuana in a car, the car cannot be in operation — by you or anyone else.
The number of patients in New Jersey’s medical marijuana program has tripled since Governor Phil Murphy took office 18 months ago and began instituting reforms.
There are now 50,000 patients, 2,000 caregivers, and 1,000 doctors participating.
“Today, three times as many New Jersey residents have access to this life-changing medical treatment than when I took office, and we will continue our work to break down barriers to ensure that this treatment is affordable and accessible for those who need it most,” Governor Murphy said in a press release.
NEW JERSEY: Hot on the heels of Governor Phil Murphy’s May 2019 announcement that his administration would be moving forward with expansion of New Jersey’s Medicinal Marijuana Program (the “MMP”), the Department of Health (the “DOH”) published a new Request for Applications (the “RFA”) for new alternative treatment center (“ATC”) permits and endorsements on July 1, 2019.
On July 2, 2019, Governor Phil Murphy signed a new law that amends New Jersey’s Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act (formerly the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act) (the “Act”) to create job protections and new procedures for drug testing, among other changes. The amendments to the Act took effect immediately upon signing.
Anti-discrimination Provisions
The number of enrollees in the state’s Medical Marijuana Program has tripled since Gov. Phil Murphy took office; the current total stands at 51,000. At the same time, the number of participating physicians has doubled to 1,000.
“Current federal law prevents these small business owners from getting insurance coverage, and without it, they can’t protect their property, employees, or customers,” Menendez said in a statement released Tuesday. “We can solve this problem with legislation that allows insurance companies to provide coverage to these enterprises without risk of federal prosecution or other unintended consequences.”
New Jersey lawmakers are unlikely to take action on cannabis legislation prior to the midterm election in November, reflecting little appetite for a decriminalization bill top Democrats had previously considered unworkable, according to a half-dozen sources involved in efforts to change the state’s marijuana policies.
1,000 Physicians Participating — Nearly Double Since Administration Began
Since Governor Phil Murphy took office, New Jersey’s Medicinal Marijuana Program has tripled the number of patients and nearly doubled the number of participating physicians—two milestones attributable to the Administration’s commitment to a patient-centered, modernized program.
A total of 51,000 patients, 2,000 caregivers and 1,000 doctors are now participating in the program.
After months of will-they-won’t-they activity, both New Jersey and New York failed to deliver on legalizing adult-use cannabis. What once seemed to be foregone conclusions to many turned out to be two hard doses of reality that leaves citizens and lawmakers with a foul taste in their mouths.
Instead of adult-use legalization, both have since pivoted to focus on expanding other cannabis parameters.
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