New Jersey’s medical marijuana patient count could reach 50,000, regulator says

New Jersey is expecting to at least double its medical cannabis patient registration, from about 20,000 to 40,000 or even 50,000, the state’s health commissioner said Tuesday.

Such numbers would almost certainly be a boon to the six existing dispensaries in New Jersey, as well as those that may win business licenses under an expansion that could allow for almost 100 MMJ dispensaries.

According to NorthJersey.com, the commissioner is so bullish on a planned expansion of New Jersey’s MMJ program that he believes the patient count will increase dramatically even if the Legislature legalizes adult-use marijuana – as many observers expect it to.

The commissioner, Dr. Shereef Elnahal, told the state Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee that he expects the patient count to hit “at least 50,000 people.”

“The experience we’ve seen in other states, inclusive of Colorado, is that medical programs are still used,” Elnahal said. “We’re seeing in states like Michigan over 100,000 patients with a similar profile of conditions. We expect to see similar numbers.”