New Jersey Medical Cannabis Foundational Certification

On June 2, 2019, Gov. Phil Murphy signed A20, also known as Jake’s Law — named after Jake Honig, a pediatric patient who used medical cannabis during his battle with cancer. The law institutes many much needed reforms to the medical cannabis program, including:

• expanding qualifying conditions, including by adding chronic pain;
• providing anti-discrimination protections, including related to education, rental housing, professional licensing, and employment;
• expanding access, including by increasing the number of cultivators, retailers, and manufacturers; and
• allowing home delivery.

A more detailed summary of the changes can be found here.

Medical professionals recommending medical cannabis must hold an active New Jersey medical license in good standing issued by the NJ Board of Medical Examiners, possess an active controlled dangerous substances registration issued by the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs that is not subject to limitation, and practice within the State of New Jersey.

Physicians must have a bona fide physician-patient relationship with a patient in order to register them with the program. A bona fide physician-patient relationship means a relationship in which the physician has ongoing responsibility for the assessment, care and treatment of a patient’s debilitating medical condition whereby:

• The physician-patient relationship has existed for at least one year; or
• The physician has seen and/or assessed the patient for the debilitating medical condition on at least four visits; or
• The physician assumes responsibility for providing management and care of the patient’s debilitating medical condition after conducting a comprehensive medical history and physical examination, including a personal review of the patient’s medical record maintained by other treating physicians reflecting the patient’s reaction and response to conventional medical therapies.

Only physicians that are registered with the Medicinal Marijuana Program (MMP) can certify patients to receive medicinal marijuana. You can register on the New Jersey MMP website. A physician must initiate a patient registration for the program.

Source: Americans For Safe Access

Recreational or adult-use cannabis became legal in New Jersey from Jan 1, 2021, after the Marijuana Legalization Amendment was approved by voters during the general elections in November 2020 with 67% voting in favor.  On April 21, 2022, the New Jersey adult-use cannabis market officially opened. In March 2022, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) approved licenses for seven alternative treatment centers to allow sales of adult-use cannabis products to adults 21 and older without a medical card. The CRC authorized 13 individual dispensaries to begin operations on April 21. 

Under guidance issued by the CRC, medical patients may purchase up to three ounces every 30 days, while adult-use consumers can purchase up to one ounce per transaction.

Qualifying Conditions

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• Anxiety
• Cancer
• Chronic pain
• Dysmenorrhea
• Glaucoma
• Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease
• Intractable skeletal muscular spasticity
• Migraine
• Multiple sclerosis
• Muscular dystrophy
• Opioid Use Disorder
• Positive status for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Seizure disorder, including epilepsy
• Terminal illness with prognosis of less than 12 months to live
• Tourette Syndrome

Opioid use disorder qualifies as a standalone debilitating medical condition for the program.  Opioid use disorder patients may be eligible for medical cannabis to treat the opioid disorder itself, or if they suffer from chronic, painful withdrawal symptoms.

• U.S. Controlled Substances Act
• Drug Schedule – Cannabis Schedule I
• Drug Schedule (Graphic)
• COVID Cannabis Guidelines
• Economic Impact
• Cannabis genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae
• Legal differentiation between hemp and marijuana distinguished by their respective concentrations of the cannabinoid delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
• 2018 Farm Bill
  • Impact on hemp classification
• SAFE Banking Act
• U.S. Pat. No. 6,630,507
• Trademarks
• Ogden Memo
• Cole Memo
• Wilkenson Memo
• 2018 Sessions Memorandum
• Rohrabacher–Blumenauer Amendment
• Joyce Amendment
• Conant v. Walters
•  What Medical Professionals Can Legally Provide To Their Patients (Graphic)
• Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Compounds: Quality Considerations for Clinical Research
• Guidance for Industry – Downloadable PDf
• Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Compounds: Quality Considerations for Clinical Research
• Guidance for Industry – Video Explainer
• Taxes
• Affirmative Defense
• Bankruptcy Protection
• Employment Law
• Access to Banking  – Financial Crimes Enforcement Network FinCEN Guidance
• Copyright and Registration

• Origins of Cannabis
• Early History of Cannabis Cultivation
  • Silk Route
  • Indica
  • Sativa
  • Ruderalis
  • Hybrids
• Medical Cannabis Through The Ages – How Cannabis Spanned The Globe – Downloadable Graphic
• Medical Cannabis In Ancient China
• Medical Cannabis In Other Ancient Civilizations
• Cannabis Timeline – Downloadable Graphic
• Power Struggles Over Cannabis
• Cannabis In Europe and The West
• U.S. Prohibition
  • Marihuana Tax Act
  • Prohibition
  • “Reefer Madness”
• The Implications of U.S. Prohibition
• Shafer Commission
• National Institute on Drug Abuse
• The Legacy Cannabis Marketplace
• Cannabis Cultivation Culture Booms
• The Beginning of the End of Prohibition
  • Prop 215 – Compassionate Care Act
  • I-502
  • Amendment 64
• U.S. Cannabis Policy Today
• Legal Cannabis Lexicon
• Hemp vs. Cannabis
• ASTM – D37 Committee

• Introduction of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS)
• Largest Receptor System
• ECS – Video Explainer
• Newly Discovered
• Chemical Bridge to All Bodily Functions
• Homeostasis
• Healthy Body = Healthy ECS
• ECS – Downloadable Graphic
• Dr Jake Felice – What is the Endocannabinoid System (ECS)? Video Interview
• Largest Neurotransmitter System of all “the body’s supercomputer”
• 1964 discovery of THC and CBD – Raphael Mechoulam, Ph.D and Yehiel Gaoni, Ph.D
• The Scientist – video regarding Raphael Mechoulam, Ph.D discoveries
• Allyn Howlett, Ph.D  – Isolating THC in the brain – 1998
  • No cannabinoid receptors in the cardiac and respiratory centers of the brainstem therefore no overdose from cannabis
• Raphael Mechoulam, Ph.D found in 1992, brain chemical that mirrors the effects of THC
  • Two brain chemicals – anandamide, Sanskrit word “ananda” brain chemical that mimics THC and CBD, 2-Arachidonoylglycerol, which they named 2-AG.
• Endogenous Molecules “endocannabinoids”.
• CB1 receptors, and CB2 receptors
• Cannabinoids and how they attach to receptors
• CB1 receptors
  • Located in the central nervous system and affect many brain functions including movement, anxiety, stress, fear, pain, appetite, reward, and motor control
• CB2 receptors
  • CB2 receptors control the release of cytokines, immuno-regulatory proteins, that are linked to inflammation during illness or after injury.
• Retrograde Inhibition
• Lack of education on the Endocannabinoid System
• Clinical Studies
• At a Glance – Downloadable Infographic
• Homeostatsis
• Humand Thriving Behavior and the ECS

• Minor Cannabinoids: CBG CBC CBN THCV
• Cannabinoid Guide – Downloadable Graphic
• Terpenes
• Terpene Chart – Downloadable Graphic
• What Are Terpenes? – Video
• The Entourage Effect
• Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects- Downloadable PDF
• Cannabis and Cannabis Extracts: Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts? – Downloadable PDF
• Tolerance and ECS Down Regulation
• Botanical vs. Single Molecule Compounds & Cannabinoids and Opioids

• Inhalation: Smoking vs. Vaporization
• In the News Discussions
• Cannabis Flower vs. Concentrate
• Different Concentrate Consistencies
• Extraction Methods
• Winterization
• Concentrates Using Solvents
• Solventless Concentrates
• Edibles, Oral Mucosal, Topicals and Suppositories
• The Role of the Medical Provider
• The Role of the Dispensary: Experts within the Dispensary

• Considerations Before Medicating with Cannabis
• Set and Setting
• Drug-Drug Interactions
• Relative Contraindications
• Youth Under 25
• Patients and Cardiac Conditions
• Patients with Psychiatric Diagnoses
• Immunocompromised Patents
• Biphasic Effect
• Finding the Appropriate Dose
• Recommended Ratios for Specific Illnesses

• How Testing Works
• Contaminants: Pesticides, Fungi and Mold
• How to Interpret a Test

• Anxiety Disorders
• Cancer
• Epilepsy
• Gastrointestinal Disorders
• Glaucoma
• HIV/AIDS
• Migraine Headaches
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Neurodegenerative Disorders
• Neuropathy
• Pain
• Palliative Care
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorders
• Sleep Disorders
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
• Endometriosis
• Premenstrual Syndrome and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
• Menopause

• Opioids
• Cannabis and Opioids
• Global Patterns of Opioid Use and Dependence
• Opioid-Related Overdose Deaths
• Pain Management
• Comparative Pain Scale
• Addictive Potential of Opioids
• Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain
• Underlying Principles – Downloadable Graphic
• Studies Show Cannabinoid Medications Effective in Reducing Opioid Use
• Cause of Death by Drug – Downloadable Graphic
• Drug Dependence
• Opioid Use Disorder
• Emerging Evidence for Cannabis’ Role in Opioid Use Disorder – Downloadable PDF
• Cannabis: A Promising Option for the Opioid Crisis – Downloadable PDF
• Cannabis and NSAIDS: More Good News

• Gateway Theory, Addiction and Brain Function
• Cannabis is Highly Addictive
• Cannabis Kills Brain Cells
• Cannabis Kills Motivation
• Cannabis Impairs Memory
• Cannabis Leads to Insanity
• Cannabis Causes Lung Cancer
• Most Recreational Users are Heavy Users
• Cannabis is Dangerous

• Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD)
• Short Term Side Effects
• Long Term Side Effects
• Physical Effects
  • Breathing Problems
  • Increased Heart Rate
  • Development
• Cannabinoid Hypermesis Syndrome (CHS)
• Mental Effects
• What to Avoid
• Cannabis and Driving
• Cannabis Over Consumption
• Cannabis Tolerance