Medical Marijuana Patient Registry Now Open

Patients permitted to use marijuana use to treat a medical condition will be able to apply for ID cards beginning today, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.

The Medical Marijuana Program (MMP) Patient Registry enrolls patients and caregivers for a registration cost of $200 per two year term, according to a press release from the state.

Patients on assistance programs, including SSI, SSD, Medicaid, food stamps and disability insurance may qualify for a reduced registration cost of $20, according to the release.

150 physicians in 20 counties have been approved by the state to dispense medical marijuana, with 11 in Middlesex County.

According to the MMP information website, six dispensaries have been approved in New Jersey to grow and distribute marijuana to program participants, but locations in Egg Harbor Township and Montclair are the only two currently listed, with the other four listed as "Location Pending."

In April, it was that a dispensary would be located in New Brunswick.

Patients with the following conditions may qualify for participation in the program, according to the state:

• Terminal cancer, or patients experiencing debilitating side effects from the treatment of some cancers.
• ALS
• Multiple sclerosis
• Muscular dystrophy
• IBS and Crohn's Disease
• Patients with less than 12 months to live as a result of a terminal illness
• Patients experiencing severe pain, vomiting or other debilitating side effects from HIV/AIDS

Additionally, patients not responding to conventional treatments of glaucoma, seizure disorders and Intractable skeletal muscular spasticity may also qualify, according to the state guidelines.

Caregivers designated to retrive medical marijuana from their charge's designated dispensary must be at least 18 years old, a New Jersey resident, submit to a criminal background check and be registered to only one patient, according to the release.

For a full list of physicians approved to prescribe medical marijuana in New Jersey, click here.

For more information on the Medical Marijuana Program, click here.