NJ Medical Marijuana Card

Updated on January 28, 2019.  Medical content reviewed by Dr. Richard Koffler, MD, Board Certified Physiatrist

In order to be afforded legal protection under the New Jersey Medical Marijuana law, qualified medical marijuana patients must register with the state patient registry and possess a valid state-issued identification card by submitting a medical marijuana card application to the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services “Medicinal Marijuana Program”.

A New Jersey medical marijuana card is an identification card issued by the DHSS, to a qualifying patient, personal caregiver, or dispensary agent. The New Jersey medical marijuana card verifies that the patient has received a written certification from a physician, stating that he or she may benefit from the medicinal use of marijuana, as per the qualifying medical conditions outlined by the State program.For purposes of the DHSS, and law enforcement, the medical marijuana card serves to identify those patients who are exempt from New Jersey criminal and civil penalties, for conduct pursuant to the medical use of marijuana.

Major Benefits of the New Jersey Marijuana Card

• Better Deals at Marijuana Dispensaries — With your medicinal marijuana card, you’re free to walk into any dispensary and obtain the prescribed dose you need to treat your condition. In New Jersey, medical marijuana is sold in dispensaries in quarter-ounce denominations. With your card, you’ll be entitled to buy the maximum amount allowed by state law, and you may be offered a discount by some dispensaries.
• Full Legal Protection — New Jersey is among the East Coast states with relatively strict cannabis laws. So, you need to be fully covered to avoid being penalized, arrested or denied certain rights because you’re taking marijuana. Your marijuana card tells any law enforcement agency that you’re authorized by the state to use and possess medical marijuana. You’ll be able to take your daily dose of marijuana with you and eat or smoke it in a convenient place.
• Constant Access to Medicine — If you’re suffering from one of the debilitating conditions that qualify for medical marijuana under the NJ Medicinal Marijuana Program (MMP), you should get your card immediately. Instead of going to your doctor to obtain a prescription each time you need to treat yourself with cannabis, your card will enable you to walk straight into any registered dispensary and buy the amount you need. This will save you a lot of time and money and make it easy for you maintain a steady treatment regimen.

How to Find the Best Doctor to Evaluate You

New Jersey has strict regulations for finding a doctor to write a statement that will qualify you to obtain a marijuana card. The qualifying doctor must be registered with the state MMP. You also need to pay a visit to the doctor a couple of times before he can certify that you need to use medical marijuana for your condition.

NJ regulations require you to have a bona fide relationship with your physician before he can qualify you for the use of medical marijuana. We make the process much simpler and faster because we help you put your medical history together with the aid of your primary physician. Then, we connect you to qualified and trusted doctors who are registered with the New Jersey MMP.

You can find these doctors easily on our website. Just navigate to our New Jersey Marijuana Doctors page. Here, you can enter your zip code and the doctors that are close to your residence will appear in the search results, listed by city.

Source: New Jersey Medical Marijuana Program