NJ medical marijuana program could double the number of patients

James Nash | NorthJersey

Show Caption Hide Caption Panel discusses marijuana legalization in NJ A panel discussion on legalizing marijuana in New Jersey occurred in Montclair on March 20.

New Jersey could double the number of medical marijuana users under Gov. Phil Murphy's liberalization of the program, the state health commissioner said Tuesday, adding that the number of users would expand even if the state lifts its ban on non-medical use.

Dr. Shereef Elnahal, whom Murphy named the state's top doctor in January, said the governor's changes to rules governing medical marijuana would allow the program to grow to 40,000 to 50,000 people, up from the current 20,000.

In March, Murphy announced that the state was adding five new categories of medical conditions for which patients could be prescribed marijuana, while reducing patient and caregiver fees and lifting limits on the amount of drug that patients could possess.

"We do anticipate an expansion in the number of individuals who will receive the program, the therapy," Elnahal told the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. "We anticipate at least 50,000 people."

Legal weed is not a barrier to medical

While moving to expand New Jersey's medical marijuana program — which grew slowly since its 2010 inception because of strict rules advocated by then-Gov. Chris Christie — Murphy also has sought to make marijuana legal for anyone 21 and older. The governor has pointed to disparities in marijuana arrests between white and non-white New Jerseyans.

Sen. Samuel Thompson, R-Middlesex, asked Elnahal whether general legalization would undercut the medical program by allowing people to purchase marijuana without a prescription. The health commissioner said no.

New Jersey applies its 6.675 percent sales tax to medical marijuana sales. The Murphy administration is proposing a 25 percent tax for non-medical marijuana, in addition to the sales tax.

"The experience we've seen in other states, inclusive of Colorado, is that medical programs are still used," Elnahal said. "We're seeing in states like Michigan over 100,000 patients with a similar profile of conditions. We expect to see similar numbers."

The Murphy administration has forecast $80 million in new marijuana tax revenue for the year beginning July 1: $60 million from non-medical sales beginning Jan. 1, and an additional $20 million in tax revenue from medical sales.

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