NEW JERSEY – Senator Declan O’Scanlon’s legislation allowing doctors to authorize medical marijuana for eligible patients via telemedicine was signed this week by Governor Murphy.
The new law (S-619) will eliminate the necessity of burdensome visits to doctors’ offices for some residents with restricted mobility.
“Digital authorization will enable qualified medical cannabis patients who are medically fragile and homebound to mitigate their suffering,” O’Scanlon (R-13) said. “Those who are terminally ill, in hospice care, confined to long-term care facilities, developmentally disabled, or certified homebound could benefit from easier access to prescriptions.
“Telemedicine is the healthcare of the future, and the pandemic demonstrated its value,” O’Scanlon said. “Technology that has significantly changed the medical industry can help improve the everyday health and wellness of New Jersey residents who rely on medical cannabis to alleviate pain and treat medical conditions.”
Senator O’Scanlon has been an outspoken supporter of medical marijuana expansion. In July 2019, his legislation, known as the Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act, was signed into law.
“Medical cannabis can be an effective treatment for an ever-expanding list of conditions, even replacing highly addictive opioid medications for some people,” O’Scanlon said.
New Jersey’s Division of Medicinal Marijuana currently serves almost 70,000 patients.
