How To Qualify for Medical Marijuana in New Jersey

New Jersey Medical Marijuana Program

New Jersey Senate Bill 119 passed in 2010, allowing New Jersey’s Medical Marijuana program to begin. As with the New York program, you must have a severely debilitating condition to be eligible for medical marijuana in the state of New Jersey. We go into detail about the Medical Marijuana laws in New Jersey and show you if and how to qualify for medical marijuana in New Jersey.

Who qualifies for the New Jersey Medical Marijuana Program?

According to the NJ Department of Health, you must have PTSD, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Terminal cancer, Crohn’s, IBS, or any terminal illness that leads a doctor believes will result in death within the next 12 months. Glaucoma and Seizure disorders can also be treated with medical marijuana in Jersey if the patient is resistant to or intolerant to conventional therapy.

Can the list of qualifying conditions be added to?

Yes. In fact, in June the NJ Assembly passed legislation that would allow qualified New Jersey residents with PTSD to get medical marijuana cards in the state.

How do you get a medical marijuana card?

If you’re looking to acquire a medical marijuana card in New Jersey first, you’ll have to confirm that you are an NJ resident.

Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

You will also need to maintain a bona fide relationship with a doctor in the program. This means you will need to have had a relationship with that doctor for a minimum of one year.

The doctor must also assess a qualifying medical condition on four separate visits before you can acquire a cannabis card. S

o if you were looking to move to NJ for medical marijuana, know that you’ll have to wait at least a year before receiving your medicine.

After you confirm you have all of the above, you will need to pay the NJ Department of Health $200 for a two-year card which can be reduced to $20 for patients qualifying for state or federal assistance programs.

Where can you find a medical marijuana doctor in New Jersey?

NJ requires any doctor who is prescribing marijuana to be registered with the NJ Medical Marijuana Program. There are doctors registered with the medical marijuana program scattered across NJ, find the one closest to you or look at reviews to find the best doctor for you.

Where are the dispensaries in New Jersey? 

Despite becoming medically legal in 2010, there is no abundance of medical dispensaries in NJ. In 2016 you’ll have about five options.

There are cannabis directories online that can help you to find both the nearest medical marijuana doctors and dispensaries.

What can you legally get from a dispensary in New Jersey?

Unlike the New York program, NJ’s program allows for the smoking and selling of marijuana in its raw plant form. In a legal New Jersey dispensary, you’ll find full nugs, extracts, and vapor pens. Last year NJ issued guidelines for dispensaries to follow if they wanted to be permitted to sell edibles so NJ dispensaries will soon have a regulated edible selection.

New Jersey Esquire

Can patients and distributors of Medical Marijuana be prosecuted in New Jersey? 

The Senate Bill 119 that was passed in 2010 protects patients who use marijuana to alleviate suffering from debilitating medical conditions, as well as their physicians, primary caregivers, and those who are authorized to produce marijuana for medical purposes. Patients must keep their medical marijuana products in original packaging, and it must be under two ounces for patients to be safe from arrest.

What is the future of New Jersey’s medical marijuana program?

The NJ Assembly may continue to add serious ailments to the list of qualifying conditions. Edibles are being brought into NJ dispensaries with caution, and more dispensaries will be opened shortly.