By Ken Wolski, RN, MPA, executive director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana-New Jersey, Inc.
Marijuana is currently recognized as safe and effective for the treatment of many diseases, symptoms, and conditions in 36 states and the District of Columbia.
It is true that medical marijuana is not FDA-approved, but this is because such approval is impossible. Marijuana, or cannabis, may well be the most researched drug in history. A PubMed.gov search of “cannabinoids” yields nearly 30,000 results.
The cannabis studies that cannot get done in America are the very studies that would lead to FDA approval — large-scale clinical trials. The only legal source of cannabis for these clinical trials is the federal government’s farm at the University of Mississippi. A court case determined that the federal government never had an adequate supply of cannabis to conduct large scale clinical trials. Moreover, the federal government generally approves research into the harms of cannabis, not its benefits. Federal police — the DEA — enforce this perversion of science.
Moreover, FDA approval is no guarantee of drug safety. People die every day from FDA approved drugs, while no one has ever died from an overdose of marijuana.
After five years of rigorous study and testimony at numerous hearings, in 2010 the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act became law.
Medical marijuana has been legally available for purchase here since 2012. Currently, there are nearly 120,000 patients in the state’s program, with 20 Alternative Treatment Centers (ATCs) serving this population.
The cannabis that is available for patients is organically grown, with no possibility of it being contaminated by heavy metals or pesticides. The product is laboratory tested and the contents are accurately labelled so consumers know exactly what percentage of cannabinoids they have.
Knowledgeable employees of the ATCs are available to explain what consumers can expect from the different strains of cannabis. A periodically renewed recommendation by a licensed physician is required before purchase.
The ATCs are more strictly regulated than full-service pharmacies. Cameras monitor all activity in the ATCs, and redundant security systems are in place. The problem is that the consumer pays for this strict regulation. New Jersey has some of the most expensive medical cannabis in the country, with an ounce of premium buds costing between $400-$500. This makes the medical benefits of cannabis unavailable to many residents who have been impoverished by their illnesses or injuries.
The real question is, how do we best make medical cannabis available to patients who can benefit from it?
The New Jersey Supreme Court recently ruled that an individual in a Worker’s Compensation case should be reimbursed for the cost of medical cannabis associated with treatment of his work-related injury. This is a good first step.
Lawmakers have recently introduced bills to provide for some insurance coverage:
S3799/A5760 allows the costs of medical cannabis to be reimbursed by Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD), Senior Gold Prescription Discount Program, Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund, and Criminal Injuries Compensation Act of 1971 (VCCO).
A1708/S3406 requires workers’ compensation, PIP, and health insurance coverage for the medical use of cannabis under certain circumstances.
These bills are currently advancing through Senate and Assembly committees. Urge your state legislators to support these inroads into insurance coverage, so that the poor in New Jersey can also have access to the therapeutic benefits of cannabis.
Published in NJ Cannabis Insider, Sept. 16, 2021
https://www.nj.com/cannabis-insider/2021/09/issue-181-high-priorities.html?fbclid=IwAR0VPZLZetCdNBEBNdjd2vhaxKorzesQM-cccfE18WTgKbr4QC0F3JhJd7k
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