Employment insurance benefits would be extended to cover the costs of medical marijuana for registered patients in New Jersey under a bill that cleared an Assembly committee on Monday. While medical cannabis has been legal in New Jersey since 2010, nothing in the current state stipulates that costs associated with the medication must be covered via workers’ compensation or personal injury protection (PIP). That would change under legislation sponsored by Assembly members John Burzichelli (D), Herb Conaway (D), and Joann Downey (D). “Many workers’ compensation insurance companies and PIPs are still hesitant to cover medical cannabis or have an outright policy of denying it,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. Medical cannabis is seen as an effective pain treatment option that is cheaper, less addictive than opioids, and often preferred to prescribe to patients over opioids.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 10/27/2020 08:57:36