New Jersey to Add More Qualifying Conditions for Medical Cannabis
New Jersey’s notoriously restrictive medical cannabis program could expand to accommodate a wider range of conditions. A state panel approved a motion to expand the list of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis on May 11. Conditions such as chronic pain-related disorders and anxiety have been added to the list.
In response to petitions from medical cannabis advocates, the Medicinal Marijuana Review Panel voted 5-1 to approve several more qualifying conditions. The state Health Department will post the recommendations on its website for 60 days where the public will have the opportunity to comment. Health Commissioner Cathleen Bennett will receive a final recommendation and will approve or deny the list.
The new conditions include chronic pain such as muscular skeletal disorders, and visceral conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and Tourette syndrome. The panel did not approve cannabis as a treatment for asthma and chronic fatigue, citing that there is no evidence.
“I believe there’s sufficient evidence that medicinal marijuana helps the condition of chronic pain,” Alex Bekker said. “We based our decision on evidence, and available literature, and the compelling and heartwrenching stories of the people.” Bekker chairs the New Jersey panel and is head of the department of anesthesiology at Rutgers-Newark.
The current list of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis includes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), Multiple Sclerosis, terminal cancer, muscular dystrophy, inflammatory bowel disease and any terminal illness. PTSD was approved as a qualifying condition late last year. Chronic pain only qualifies as a condition if the patient has HIV/AIDS or cancer.
Gov. Chris Christie was criticized for placing unnecessary restrictions on New Jersey’s medical cannabis program. Activists successfully sued Christie in 2014, forcing him to begin the process of adding medical conditions.
There are currently 11,659 patients participating in New Jersey’s medical cannabis program. There are only five dispensaries. By adding chronic pain, an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 patients could qualify for medical cannabis in New Jersey.
