New Jersey has seven medical marijuana dispensaries.

Two opened in the last year, and more are likely to open this year, said Sarah Trent, CEO of Valley Wellness, a medical marijuana dispensary that recently applied for a medical cannabis dispensary permit from the state Department of Health.

Last week, the DOH issued permits to three additional companies to begin growing medical marijuana, bringing the total number of cultivation permits issued in New Jersey to five.

According to the DOH, the dispensaries in the Garden State are: Greenleaf Compassion Center of Montclair, Compassionate Care Foundation of Egg Harbor, Garden State Dispensary of Woodbridge and Union Township, Breakwater Alternative Treatment Center of Cranbury, Curaleaf NJ in Bellmawr, Harmony Dispensary in Secaucus and Rise in Paterson.

Program participation continues to grow. There are now 67,644 patients, 2,543 caregivers and 1,100 physicians participating in the program, according to the DOH.

"This is a significant increase, up from about 17,000 since Gov. (Phil) Murphy took office," Trent said.

Murphy in July signed a bill that overhauled New Jersey's medical marijuana program, eliminating restrictions that advocates said threw wrenches in patients' bids to find relief.

To qualify for the program, there must be a qualifying condition that is approved by a doctor that is registered with the program.

According to the state's Division of Medical Marijuana, the top five medical conditions among patients who have qualified for the program are chronic pain due to musculoskeletal disorders (25.4 percent), anxiety (20.2 percent) intractable skeletal spasticity (19.9 percent), PTSD (8.8 percent), and severe or chronic pain due to cancer or HIV (6.85 percent).

"Thanks to regulatory changes and the signing of Jake Honig’s Law in July 2019, the Department has now added more than 50,000 new patients since the beginning of the Murphy administration, and these new sites will better serve patients statewide," state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said.

More:State OKs medical marijuana farm in Readington at former Walmart site

Qualifying patients must register with the state and pay a $100 fee. Some individuals such as senior citizens, veterans and those that receive SSI and SSD are eligible for a reduced registration fee of $20.

"Before you can go to a dispensary you must receive your card in the mail and register in the state patient portal for what dispensary you want to visit," Trent said. "The first time you go each new dispensary, patients are to receive counseling and information. Some dispensaries may have pharmacists available to counsel patients."

Some patients travel upwards of an hour to obtain their medicine.

"That should not be the case, so there is definitely a need for more dispensaries," she said. "There also is a program that allows for caregivers to register and pick up medicine for patients that cannot travel, but the program needs to be more accessible to those who rely on it."

A list of qualifying conditions can be found at www.nj.gov/health/medicalmarijuana/patients/. For more information, visit the DOH homepage at nj.gov/health.

Email: cmakin@gannettnj.com

Cheryl Makin is an award-winning reporter for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her award-winning work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.