Status: Medical only
History:
2010: Medical cannabis legalised
2017: Liberalised medical cannabis laws by adding more conditions that qualify for medical cannabis treatment
2017 and 2019: Failed attempts at legalising cannabis for recreational use
Policy Framework:
- Patients must be diagnosed with a qualifying condition to obtain medical cannabis;
- Medical cannabis can only be obtained from a state-licenced “alternate treatment" centres;
- Caregivers for patients are permitted to collect medical cannabis for card-holding patients but must undergo criminal background checks;
- Patients may possess up to 3oz (85g) per month;
- Patients are not permitted to cultivate their own cannabis at home;
- Possession of cannabis for recreational use is a crime punishable by up to 1.5 years in prison and fines of up to $US25,000;
- Distribution of any amount of cannabis is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $US300,000;
- Cultivation of cannabis is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $US300,000;
- There are an estimated 51,000 registered medical cannabis patients in New Jersey, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.
Outcomes:
- Between 2005 and 2017, cannabis use disorder in people over the age of 12 decreased from 1.4% to 1.0%;
- In 2018, sales of medical marijuana reached $US37 million.
Source: https://crime-data-explorer.fr.cloud.gov/explorer/state/new-jersey/crime