New Jersey’s health commissioner suggested the state’s 28,000 registered physicians should give medical marijuana more of a chance, a move apparently aimed at ensuring the state has enough physicians to accommodate a possible expansion of its MMJ program.
Health Commissioner Shereef Elnahal “urged doctors to recommend vaping or to consume nonsmokable forms of cannabis” in a speech at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, NJ.com reported.
A lack of physician buy-in has been a problem for MMJ markets across the country, especially newer programs in states such as Illinois, Minnesota and New York.
Although the Garden State has seen a surge in recent months in registered MMJ patients – up to roughly 22,000 patients in May from about 16,000 in December – only 622 New Jersey physicians actively recommend MMJ to patients, NJ.com reported.
