The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission announced Oct. 8 that physician assistants and nurse practitioners can now recommend medical cannabis to patients, according to an NJ.com report.
“Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are an integral part of medical practices and are involved in patient care, diagnosis, and prescribing medicine,” Cannabis Regulatory Commission Executive Director Jeff Brown told the news outlet. “We are excited to implement the process for them to participate in the program to provide greater access to patients and to make the process more efficient for care provider offices.”
The change is part of Jake Honig’s law, which expanded New Jersey’s medical cannabis program and has been rolled out over the course of the last two years.
Physician assistants and nurse practitioners participating in the program will be held to the same requirements as doctors, NJ.com reported. They must be licensed and in good standing, and they must have a practice located in New Jersey.
There are 1,311 doctors in the state who are registered to recommend medical cannabis to their patients, NJ.com reported, and the program has more than 117,000 patients and 23 operational dispensaries.
