US (NJ): Medical Marijuana Panel recommends expanding program

New Jersey residents suffering from anxiety, migraines, Tourette syndrome, and chronic pain of various origins could eventually get treatment through the state’s medical marijuana program, which advocates have been pushing for years to expand.

The state’s Medicinal Marijuana Review Panel recommended at their meeting Thursday to add five additional conditions to the list of roughly a dozen illnesses and disorders that are now eligible for cannabis treatment under the state’s program, considered one of the nation’s most restrictive. The potential changes, which will involve public hearings before state officials make a final decision later this year, would mark the first expansion of the seven-year-old program.

While many patients have been frustrated with the pace of evolution, advocates welcomed the panel’s decision. Some said it could even help reduce reliance on opiates for pain relief, particularly important in a state like New Jersey that is struggling with epidemic levels of drug addiction. Many people across the state will be helped by this decision,” said Roseanne Scotti, New Jersey state director for the Drug Policy Alliance.

Read more at MJ Spotlight