New Jersey cannabis funds will be used for hospital intervention services

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced in a press release that $5.5 million in cannabis tax funds will go to the New Jersey Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program (NJHVIP).

The money comes directly from the state’s Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance and Marketplace Modernization Fund. Under state law, cannabis tax funds consist of funds derived from cannabis taxes and fees to fund a variety of nonprofit services and programs.

The NJHVIP is administered by the Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance Unit (VIVA) through the Office of Violence Intervention and Prevention. VIVA was originally founded in September 2022 by Platkin “with the goal of strengthening and formalizing violence intervention and victim assistance work within the Department of Law and Public Safety.”

“Through the New Jersey Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program, our government is making progress in our commitment to creating a safer state for all New Jerseyans,” Murphy said in a news release. “These innovative violence intervention programs enable providers to care for vulnerable victims of violent crime in the early days of their recovery, breaking the patterns of violence that have tragically claimed the lives of too many New Jerseyans.” We will continue to do everything do what we can to support this work to prevent and overcome violence in our communities across the state.”

“New Jersey’s hospital-based violence intervention programs are essential aspects of our comprehensive approach to public safety and empower communities to break the cycle of victimization and violence,” said Platkin. “Under Governor Murphy’s leadership, we are continuing our historic investment in NJHVIPs by dedicating $5.5 million to these innovative services. With this funding, we are making clear that we will use every tool and resource available to combat the gun violence and violent crime that affects too many of our communities.”

VIVA managing director Patricia Teffenhart also emphasized the importance of the NJHVIP. “Our NJHVIP partners are an important part of Attorney General Platkin’s trauma-informed and survivor-centered commitment to building safer and more resilient communities in New Jersey,” said Teffenhart. “By bringing together medical and community-based violence intervention teams that place victims at the center of care, their work supports the kind of healing that helps put victims on the path to recovery and the path to safety.”

The press release states that hospital-based violence intervention programs like NJHVIP help support victims of crime through unified teams of “hospital physicians, social workers, case managers, violence interventionists and community health workers.” Services like crisis intervention, victim compensation and more serve people in need, and the $5.5 million awarded will help fund these services.

The New Jersey Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program began in January 2020 with funding from the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) program. New Jersey was one of the first states to implement a program using VOCA funds.

It began with nine hospital partnerships, including Center for Family Services, Trinitas Health Foundation, AtlantiCare, Capital Health, Jersey City Medical Center, RWJ University Hospital, University Hospital, Jersey Shore University Medical Center/Hackensack Meridian and St. Joseph’s Health. By January 2023, the number rose to 11.

During his time as governor since 2018, Murphy has helped send $45 million in federal and state funding to various NJHVIP sites. In August 2023, NJHVIP’s third year of operation, $15 million was allocated through the same cannabis fund for violence prevention services, including counseling for at-risk youth and street intervention services. “For far too long, parts of our state have been marked by violence. And since day one of our administration, we have been committed to solving this problem,” Murphy said last month. “Through initiatives like this [CBVI] programs, we have made great progress in fulfilling this promise. I am incredibly grateful to Attorney General Platkin and his team for their tireless efforts to reduce violence in our state and create a safer community for everyone.”

The $5.5 million from the cannabis tax fund for this year will be granted starting in 2024. Organizations wishing to apply for NJHVIP grants may do so by October 18, 2023. According to the Notice of Funds Availability, applicants may apply for more than $995,000 per project. A webinar was held on September 29th for interested applicants, but those who were not originally present that day will be able to watch a recording of the meeting when it is posted online on October 3rd.

In other community service news, three New Jersey attorneys (Andrew Cooper, Michael Hoffman and John Williams) recently held an eviction service event at the 420 Expo, held September 29 through October 29. 1. The “Stigma-Free Celebration of the Legal Cannabis Lifestyle” hosted more than 100 vendors and also included educational seminars and appearances by famed Cheech Marin. “The so-called war on drugs has been particularly hard on minority and low-income communities, and although studies show that white, brown and black people use cannabis equally, black and brown people were almost four times more likely to be arrested for cannabis. “Violations,” Cooper explained. “Despite legislation to support these communities, those most affected are also the least likely to benefit due to a lack of access to information and support. The expungement clinics at 420 Expo are intended to provide meaningful access to information that is otherwise sorely lacking in society.”