Health & Fitness
New Jersey Medical Marijuana Program Gets ‘C’ Grade In Annual Study
44 states now have some form of medical marijuana law on the books. See why N.J. got a "C" grade from a national cannabis advocacy group.
New Jersey’s medical marijuana program isn’t perfect, but it’s getting better, according to a recent report from a cannabis advocacy group.
On Thursday, pro-marijuana nonprofit Americans for Safe Access (ASA) released its annual report, which grades states with medical marijuana laws on factors such as “patient's rights,” “legal constraints” and “overall accessibility to medical cannabis.”
As of March 2017 – including states with “limited cannabidiol (CBD) regulations - 44 states now have some form of medical marijuana laws on the books.
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The number of medical cannabis programs more than doubled under the Obama administration, according to the ASA report.
“Medical cannabis laws are moving in a positive direction, but only a handful of the 44 medical cannabis states are truly meeting the needs of patients, and there are still six states where cannabis remains completely illegal for patients,” posited Steph Sherer, executive director of Americans for Safe Access.
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“In short, we’re seeing a lot of progress, but the fight is far from over,” Sherer said.
NEW JERSEY MEDICAL MARIJUANA
For 2017, New Jersey improved slightly to a “C” rating from last year’s study.
“While access to dispensaries remains limited, the state now has more dispensing locations, and continues to pass bills to improve the program,” ASA reported. “The state does well in the area of product safety, but has such a limited production base and supply that most patients do not receive the benefit of these regulations.”
In addition, New Jersey needs to add more production and distribution facilities for patients, while adding civil discrimination protections for patients in the areas of housing, employment, parental rights and organ transplants, the ASA report stated.
- See related article: New Jersey Activists Fight To Expand Medical Marijuana Program
- See related article: N.J. Medical Marijuana: Dispensaries Show Explosive Growth In 2016
- See related article: New Jersey Marijuana Patients Offer Human Side To Weed Debate
Send feedback to eric.kiefer@patch.com
Photo: Flickr Commons
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