Expansion of Medical Marijuana Coming to New Jersey

Medical marijuana has picked up speed in numerous states across the country in recent years and New Jersey is expected to make it easier for doctors to give prescriptions for medical marijuana and expand access to medical marijuana overall. The New Jersey Governor says he is planning to broaden the medical marijuana rules to allow anxiety, pain, migraines and other chronic conditions to be eligible to medical marijuana physicians.

New Changes May Eliminate Prevalence of Drug Charges

The registration fees for patients will also be cut in half to $100 and regular physicians will be able to submit qualifying patient names to a registry managed by the state. Lawmakers will have the responsibility of outlining the regulations that would determine how and when doctors could prescribe the drug.

Laws Too Strict, Advocates Say

According to advocates for medical marijuana in New Jersey, previous regulations have made it very restrictive for people to get a prescription and this new move is geared towards reducing the number of hoops people have to jump through.

The Governor has prioritized expanding the use of marijuana for recreational and medical purposes. Previously, Governor Christie reluctantly allowed patients who had certain conditions to use cannabis, although he felt that conflicts with federal law, crime concerns, and addiction were all reasons to keep the law from being more expansive.

Although New Jersey’s rules associated with medical marijuana altered little during the time that Christie was in office, other states have expanded qualifying conditions for which physicians can write a prescription to scoliosis, post-concussion syndrome, and arthritis. This will also have an impact on drug crimes and possession throughout the state.

Getting Help Following Marijuana Charges

Have you already been accused of possession or similar marijuana charges? You need to hire a criminal defender who has a track record of helping those accused. Contact the office of Michele Finizio as soon as possible to get support for your needs.

The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.