Updated on May 26, 2020. Medical content reviewed by Dr. Joseph Rosado, MD, M.B.A, Chief Medical Officer
What Ailments Qualify For Medical Cannabis in New Jersey
Patients in New Jersey diagnosed with one of the following severe, debilitating, or life-threatening medical conditions, are afforded legal protection under the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, as per Senate Bill 119:
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
- Anxiety
- Chronic Pain (Of Visceral Origin or Related to Musculoskeletal Disorders)
- Crohn’s Disease
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
- Migraine
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Opioid Dependence
- Terminal Cancer
- Terminal Illness (If the physician has determined a prognosis of less than 12 months of life)
- Tourette’s Syndrome
The following conditions apply, if the patient is resistant to, or intolerant to, conventional therapy:
- Glaucoma
- Intractable Skeletal Muscular Spasticity
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Seizure Disorder (Including Epilepsy)
The following conditions apply, if Severe or Chronic Pain, Severe Nausea or Vomiting, Cachexia or Wasting Syndrome results from the condition or its treatment:
New Jersey’s Medicinal Marijuana Review Panel has held hearings on behalf of doctors and patients who are looking to expand qualifying conditions to include migraines, anxiety, chronic pain, and more.
How to Become A Medical Marijuana Patient in New Jersey
- Qualified Patients must be eighteen (18) years of age or older. If the patient is a minor under the age of (eighteen) must be designated as the legal guardian and must a acquire written confirmation from a physician trained in Pediatrics as well as a Psychiatrist.
- Qualified patients must have a valid, unexpired Driver’s License of Identification Card issued by the state of New Jersey.
- Qualified Patients must reside in the state of New Jersey and provide proof of residency. A Utility Bill dated within the last ninety (90) days or any correspondence with the IRS or New Jersey State Tax Office within the last year.
- The qualifying patient must have been diagnosed by a physician as having one of the Qualifying Medical Conditions listed above.
- Patients must be evaluated in person by a certified physician. Find A Certified Physician in New Jersey.
- Once the patient has been certified, the patient must register with the New Jersey Medical Marijuana Program Patient Registry. Registration Fee is $100. Senior Citizens, Military Veterans and NJ Residents receiving SNAP, TDI, SSI & SSD Benefits as well as residents enrolled in Medicaid may be eligible to pay the reduced Application Fee of $20.
- Once approved, the qualified patient will be notified and the patients Medical Marijuana Identification Card. If you are denied, NJ MMP will follow up with instructions to amend the patients application.
Who Qualifies for Medicinal Marijuana in New Jersey
On January 11, 2010, the New Jersey State Assembly and Senate approved A804/S119, which establishes “The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act,” which removed state-level criminal penalties on the use and possession of medical marijuana (also referred to as medical weed, medical pot or medical cannabis) by qualifying patients who obtain a recommendation from their New Jersey licensed physician. Patients will be issued ID cards by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services and may designate a registered caregiver to assist in obtaining marijuana. Though this created the medical marijuana program in NJ that now contains over 15,000 registered patients, marijuana was still considered a “schedule 1” drug. With new Appellate Court hearings in October 2017, this could change in the future, allowing New Jersey to further expand its medical marijuana program.
New Jersey’s medical cannabis law is the first of all the legal states, to prohibit home cultivation of marijuana, and require patients to obtain a limited amount of marijuana, from state-monitored dispensaries.
Source: New Jersey Department Of Health – Medical Marijuana Program
