New Jersey medical marijuana program doubles patient count

New Jersey’s medical marijuana program saw its patient count nearly double last year, breaking the 10,000 mark for the first time, according to an annual report released by the New Jersey Department of Health.

The jump in patients should be welcome news for New Jersey’s five operating medical marijuana dispensaries, which will likely see an increase in demand. Last year, the dispensaries sold a total of 2,694 pounds of cannabis.

New Jersey’s program registered 5,060 new medical marijuana patients in 2016, although 303 of them died and 22 aren’t active, meaning the state added 4,735 new active patients last year. That brought the number of active patients in the state to 10,799, the report shows.

Last year, the state added post-traumatic stress disorder to its medical conditions list, a move that resulted in more people signing up for the MMJ program.

Compassionate Sciences in Bellmawr sold more cannabis – 885 pounds – and served more patients – 2,762 involved in 31,423 transactions – then any other dispensary in the state. Garden State Dispensary in Woodbridge was second with 691 pounds of cannabis sold to 2,687 patients involved in 20,170 transactions.

The Breakwater Treatment & Wellness dispensary in Cranbury sold 494 pounds to 2,068 people involved in 13,943 transactions. The Compassionate Care Foundation in Egg Harbor sold 451 pounds to 1,527 people over 13,799 transactions. The Greenleaf Compassion Center in Montclair sold 172.5 pounds to 1,288 patients involved in 5,330 transactions.

New Jersey also saw 64 physicians become actively registered to recommend medical marijuana last year, bringing that total to 426.