Politics
Opioid Addiction Is Now A Medical Marijuana Qualifying Condition In New Jersey
People suffering from opioid addiction now qualify for medical marijuana in New Jersey.
Gov. Phil Murphy (D) made the announcement on Wednesday as he unveiled several other initiatives aimed at mitigating the state’s opioid crisis. For example, regulators will also eliminate the prior authorization requirement for Medicaid recipients to receive medication-assisted treatment (MAT).
Today I announced new initiatives to fight the opioid epidemic, including removing the requirement for prior authorization for Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) and adding opioid addiction as an eligible condition to our medical marijuana program.https://t.co/Uswebrrqi8 pic.twitter.com/BTnNi5zfHd
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) January 23, 2019
The state Department of Health said physicians may begin recommending cannabis for opioid addiction immediately.
As of today, #opioid use disorder is a condition for which physicians can recommend #medicalmarijuana to patients. We are also taking steps to ensure that these patients will be on MAT for their addiction, in addition to #marijuana. @ShereefElnahal pic.twitter.com/tLv3uNeW2z
— NJDOH (@NJDeptofHealth) January 23, 2019
“We are pleased to announce that, as of today, opioid use disorder is a condition for which physicians can recommend medical marijuana to patients,” Dr. Shereef Elnahal, the state health commissioner, said in a press release. “We are also taking steps to ensure that these patients will be on MAT for their addiction, in addition to marijuana.”
Previously, individuals addicted to opioids could only qualify for medical cannabis if they became dependent while attempting to treat chronic pain caused by a musculoskeletal disorder.
The health department announced that it was exploring adding opioid addiction to the list of qualifying conditions in October. Elnahal said at the time that physicians “should consider marijuana as another appropriate treatment for patients with many medical conditions, especially diseases for which conventional therapies aren’t working for their patients.”
.@GovMurphy also announced the addition of opioid addiction to the Medicinal Marijuana Program as an eligible condition.
— NJ DHS (@NJDHS) January 23, 2019
The development comes as Murphy and legislative leaders seem to be at an impasse over provisions of a proposal to more broadly legalize marijuana for recreational use.
While legislative committees approved a legalization bill late last year, leaders have not brought the measure to the floor of either chamber in light of disagreements with the governor. At issue is the proposed tax rate for retail cannabis sales, as well as how the industry would be regulated.
Sources told NJ.com that talks on marijuana reform have stalled, but advocates hope that the issue will be worked out soon.
“I still believe we can make progress on this,” Murphy said earlier this week. “To be determined.”
Meanwhile, neighboring New York, which is also considering adult-use marijuana legalization this year, recently moved to allow patients who would normally be prescribed opioids for any condition to use medical cannabis instead.
Marijuana Dispensaries Reduce Local Opioid Overdose Rates, Study Finds
