Pro tips for medical marijuana patients in New Jersey

When it comes to cannabis, I’m an illegal market guy. I have a nice hippie lady who is way cheaper than the pharmacy and she delivers to my house. And when it’s one of those weeks, she’s always generous with a line of credit, something unthinkable in one of New Jersey’s 23 medical cannabis dispensaries.

“I know you’re good for it,” she will say. “Just take me next time.”

For years I have criticized NJ’s lengthy medical cannabis program for Leafly and NJ.com. I chronicled the protracted “train wreck” phase of the program and described “Why Black Market Weed (Still) Beats NJ Dispensaries”.

But eventually, NJ’s medicinal cannabis program got better.

How much better?

Well, don’t be so quick to fire your legacy dealer. But things have improved enough that it’s worth giving the program a different look.

Here’s a list of tips and ideas for NJ’s 120,000+ medicinal cannabis users to maximize your next visit to the dispensary.

More locations

You never forget your first trip to legally buying cannabis. Mine happened on December 17, 2012, when I made the two-hour hike from Cherry Hill to Montclair to visit the state’s first (and then only) pharmacy.

“At least you don’t live in Cape May,” I joked to myself.

With 23 dispensaries now serving the 122,000+ medical cannabis cardholders in New Jersey, no one drives 2 hours round trip for legal weed anymore.

The Cannabis Regulatory Commission updates its list as new dispensaries come online. Hardly a design masterpiece, their medical marijuana website is packed with valuable information for newbies, including a list of requirements and information for finding a doctor to sign your state-issued medical cannabis card.

Once you have received your ID, you can visit a pharmacy.

Say it: “I’m new here.”

It can be intimidating to rush to the bar to make your first purchase of medicinal cannabis. First off, stigma is still a thing, even for registered patients. Also, cannabis has its own language (similar to wine) that can be intimidating for beginners.

My advice: tell your budtender (aka your weed barista) that this is your first visit. By letting them know you’re a newbie, they have a chance to take the jargon back and treat you like a first-time visitor.

Indica, Sativa, Hybrids

You’ll soon become fluent in the language of cannabis.

In the meantime, the words “indica” and “sativa” might be at the top of your vocabulary list, since that’s how cannabis strains are classified in most dispensaries.

In general, sativas are more energetic and indicas are smoother. You can remember the difference because Indica = in da couch.

But mileage can and will vary from patient to patient. I’ve had sleepy sativas and energetic indicas in my day. However, in Casa Lassiter it is usually sativa during the day and indica at night.

Again, ask your budtender who can share insights based on feedback from other customers.

Related

Indica vs. Sativa: Understanding the Differences Between Weed Types

wanna be high How high?

I tend to go for hybrid strains with high THC levels. THC is the chemical compound that determines a strain’s potency.

If you want to get really stoned, look for something with over 20% THC. For those days when you need relief but still need to function, ask for anything between 5-10% THC.

shopping spree

Buying cannabis in New Jersey is like visiting Whole Foods. You can go broke if you’re not careful. But you can also get some really good deals if you know where to look.

For patients on a budget, Jeff Brown, Chief of Staff for NJ’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission, suggests looking around.

“Try new pharmacies,” says Brown. “We’ve made it easy to switch pharmacies – patients can do it from their phone, so don’t be afraid to go to a new one. Pharmacies that have opened recently are often less crowded and could offer products at more competitive prices to attract new customers.”

Related

The 100 Best Cannabis Strains of All Time by Leafly

Join mailing lists, get offers

I followed this advice and then subscribed to the mailing list of every pharmacy near my home in South Jersey.

That’s how I found out about the 10% discount for anyone who travels more than 30 miles to visit the Atlantic City pharmacy. Mailing lists can be insignificant. But how else would I know when Vineland Dispensary has a coveted $200/ounce strain on sale? That’s more than half the price you might typically encounter anywhere in the state, so it’s definitely worth the email mess to keep up.

Are you also a military veteran? Shopping for a pediatric medical cannabis user? Are you on Medicaid? Then get a discount on cannabis purchases in New Jersey! Depending on the pharmacy, the discounts are between 30% and 50%.

And that’s a lot of green.

The health tax is finally gone

It caused a scandal when Chris Christie-era New Jersey regulators levied sales taxes on purchases of medicinal cannabis. Forcing sick people to pay even more – 6.625% more, to be precise – has added insult to the burdens of a costly, over-regulated program.

Under Governor Phil Murphy, this excise tax on medicinal cannabis was gradually reduced to 4%, then 2%, and will soon level off to zero. Sales tax on medical marijuana purchases in New Jersey will be permanently eliminated on July 1, 2022.

When adult sales begin later this year, an ounce of cannabis flower will be subject to an excise tax of 33% plus 6.625% sales tax. That’s a bite — and a good reason to keep your NJ-Med card updated, since patients don’t pay taxes on their weed purchases.

No home cultivation yet? come on

Even with discounts and sales, cannabis still doesn’t come cheap in New Jersey, where home-grown cannabis remains very illegal. Patients who grow their own plant can face up to five years in prison for a single plant.

In the absence of home grow regulations, proponents are pushing for something like insurance coverage for medical cannabis purchases in New Jersey. Legislation is pending in Trenton to do just that.

Because cannabis remains illegal at the federal level, insurance companies (regulated by the FBI) ​​will not touch it with a 10-foot pole. Instead, these expenses would be covered by government programs including the Child Catastrophic Disease Relief Fund and PAAD (Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled).

Rec Day One is coming

Finally, on Election Day 2020, NJ voters legalized recreational cannabis. The first licenses for adult sales are expected to be issued sometime in the next few months. According to Jeff Brown of the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission, the introduction of recreational cannabis will not displace or deprioritize patients who use medicinal cannabis.

“Recreational cannabis will be available, but it will be taxed at a higher rate,” Brown says, “and patients will have priority access even when those sales begin — meaning they’ll have access to more product.”

Priority access sounds good — but make sure you stock up on your meds before adult opening day in NJ. Things can get a little chaotic for the first week.

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on InsiderNJwhere Jay Lassiter is a regular columnist.

Jay Lassiter

Jay has been covering New Jersey politics since 2005, when he founded a political journalism website and became the first recognized statehouse blogger in America. He currently covers politics for Leafly and the New York Observer.

Check out Jay Lassiter’s articles

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