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Certain medical marijuana patients could skip the doctor’s office and instead receive authorization to use weed electronically, thanks to a bill moving through the state Legislature.

The measure (S619), which allows telemedicine consults for medical pot, passed the state Senate Monday by a vote of 36-1. It intends to ease some of the burdens New Jersey’s nearly 70,000 registered patients face trying to procure weed.

"Those who rely on medical cannabis to treat their conditions will benefit from more convenient and less expensive digital doctors’ appointments,” the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Declan O’Scanlon, R-Monmouth, said in a statement. “Utilizing available technology is a practical approach that will improve the health and wellness of eligible New Jersey residents.”

Advocates of telemedicine say the virtual health consults can cut medical costs. But research shows there’s not yet enough data to prove the practice brings savings.

The act would initially apply to long-term care facility residents and those who are developmentally disabled, terminally ill, homebound or on hospice.

After nine months, a practitioner could provide electronic authorization for any patient that had at least one in-person visit.

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Patients have long decried restrictions in the state’s program that they say make obtaining medical marijuana a hardship. A law passed last summer attempted to lessen some of those burdens by reducing the number of required annual doctor visits from four to one, phasing out taxes and increasing the amount of pot patients could take home each month.

But patients are still calling for lawmakers to allow them to grow their own weed at home, a move that would reduce their out of pocket costs significantly.

The bill must pass the state Assembly, which has yet to introduce a version of it in the new legislative session, and receive the governor’s signature before becoming law.

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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