Gov. Murphy greatly expands New Jersey's medical marijuana program

Gov. Murphy greatly expanded New Jersey’s medical marijuana program Tuesday, opening the door to tens of thousands of new patients and allowing the five dispensaries spread across the state to add satellite retail centers and cultivation facilities.

The governor added to the list of ailments that qualify for a cannabis prescription. He also cleared the way for any doctor in the state to prescribe cannabis, ending a system in which only those physicians who registered — and thus, joined a publicly available list of providers — could do so. He said some doctors had been reluctant to participate in the program because they viewed joining the list as a stigma.

He is also calling for legislation to double the amount that patients could purchase in a month, to 4 ounces.

Patients enrolled in the state’s eight-year-old medical marijuana program were quick to praise the governor’s announcement and said it was long overdue after years of inaction by Gov. Chris Christie, who imposed strict regulations and promised to veto any expansion of the program.

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