{"id":4682,"date":"2022-03-08T16:19:54","date_gmt":"2022-03-08T16:19:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=195803"},"modified":"2022-03-08T16:19:54","modified_gmt":"2022-03-08T16:19:54","slug":"pro-tips-for-new-jersey-medical-marijuana-patients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=4682","title":{"rendered":"Pro tips for New Jersey medical marijuana patients"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>Pro tips for New Jersey medical marijuana patients | Leafly<\/title>     <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. 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You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<p>When it comes to cannabis I\u2019m an illicit market kinda guy. I\u2019ve got a nice hippie lady who\u2019s a lot cheaper than the dispensary&nbsp;<em>and<\/em>&nbsp;she delivers to my home. And if it\u2019s one of <em>those<\/em> weeks, she\u2019s always generous with a line of credit, something that\u2019s unthinkable at one of New Jersey\u2019s 23 medical cannabis dispensaries.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know you\u2019re good for it,\u201d she\u2019ll say. \u201cJust get me next time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For years I\u2019ve critiqued NJ\u2019s long-languishing medical cannabis program for Leafly and NJ.com. I\u2019ve chronicled the program\u2019s protracted \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidernj.com\/njs-lame-duck-cannabis-train-wreck\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Train Wreck<\/a>\u201d phase and described \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidernj.com\/black-market-weed-still-beats-nj-dispensaries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Why Black Market Weed (still) Beats NJ Dispensaries<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But somewhere along the way, NJ\u2019s medical cannabis program got better.<\/p>\n<p>How much better?<\/p>\n<p>Well, don\u2019t go firing your legacy dealer any time soon. But things have improved enough that\u2019s it worth giving the program another look.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a list of tips and ideas for NJ\u2019s 120,000+ medical cannabis users to maximize your next trip to the dispensary.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-more-locations\">More locations <\/h2>\n<p>You never forget your first trip to buy cannabis legally. Mine happened Dec. 17, 2012, when I&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/politics\/2012\/12\/medical_marijuana_activist_mak.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">made the two-hour trek to Montclair<\/a>&nbsp;from Cherry Hill to visit the state\u2019s first (and then only) dispensary.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt least you don\u2019t live in Cape May,\u201d I joked to myself.<\/p>\n<p>With 23 dispensaries now serving NJ\u2019s 122,000+ medical cannabis cardholders, no one drives 2 hours (there and back) for legal weed anymore.<\/p>\n<p>The Cannabis Regulatory Commission updates&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nj.gov\/cannabis\/medicinalcannabis\/find-atc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">their roster<\/a>&nbsp;as new dispensaries come online. Their&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nj.gov\/cannabis\/medicinalcannabis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">medical marijuana webpage<\/a>, while hardly a design masterpiece, is packed with valuable info for newbies including&nbsp;a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nj.gov\/cannabis\/medicinalcannabis\/patient-faqs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">list of qualifying conditions<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nj.gov\/cannabis\/medicinalcannabis\/find-provider\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">info to find a doctor<\/a>&nbsp;to sign off on your state-issued medical cannabis ID.<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve got your ID, you\u2019re ready to visit a dispensary.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-say-it-i-m-new-here\">Say it: \u201cI\u2019m new here.\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>Bellying up to the bar to make your first medical cannabis purchase can be intimidating. For starters, stigma is still a thing, even for registered patients. Also, cannabis has its own language (kinda like wine) that can be intimidating for first-timers.<\/p>\n<p>My advice: Tell your budtender (aka your weed barista) that it\u2019s your first visit. Letting them know you\u2019re a newbie gives them the opportunity to dial back the jargon and treat you like a first-time guest.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-indica-sativa-hybrid\">Indica, sativa, hybrid<\/h2>\n<p>You\u2019ll become fluent in the language of cannabis soon enough.<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, the words \u201cindica\u201d and \u201csativa\u201d might be at the top of your vocabulary list since that\u2019s how cannabis strains are classified at most dispensaries.<\/p>\n<p>Generally speaking, sativas are more energetic and indicas are more mellow. You can remember the difference because Indica = in da couch.<\/p>\n<p>But mileage can, and will, vary between patients. I\u2019ve had sleepy sativas and energetic indicas in my day. That said, it\u2019s usually sativa by day and indica by night in Casa Lassiter.<\/p>\n<p>Again, ask your budtender, who can share insights based on feedback from other customers.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/cannabis-101\/sativa-indica-and-hybrid-differences-between-cannabis-types\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>Indica vs. sativa: understanding the differences between weed types<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-do-you-want-to-be-high-how-high\">Do you want to be high? How high? <\/h2>\n<p>I tend to go for hybrid strains with a high THC content.&nbsp;THC is the chemical compound that determines a strain\u2019s potency.<\/p>\n<p>If you wanna get really stoned, look for a something with THC content over 20%. For those days when you need relief but still have to function, ask for something between 5-10% THC.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-shop-around\">Shop around<\/h2>\n<p>Buying cannabis in New Jersey is like going to Whole Foods. You can walk out completely broke if you\u2019re not careful. But you can also get some really good deals if you know where to look.<\/p>\n<p>For budget-conscious patients, Jeff Brown, Chief of Staff of NJ\u2019s Cannabis Regulatory Commission, suggests shopping around.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTry new dispensaries,\u201d Brown says. \u201cWe made it easy to switch dispensaries \u2013 patients can do so from their phones, so don\u2019t be afraid to go to a new one. Often, dispensaries that recently opened are less crowded and could have more competitively priced products in order to attract new customers.\u201d <\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/strains-products\/top-100-marijuana-strains\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>Leafly\u2019s 100 best cannabis strains of all time<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-join-mailing-lists-get-deals\">Join mailing lists, get deals <\/h2>\n<p>I took that advice and then joined the mailing list of every dispensary within striking distance of my South Jersey home.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s how I learned about the 10% discount for anyone traveling more than 30 miles to visit the dispensary in Atlantic City.&nbsp;Mailing lists can be trifling. But how else would I know when the Vineland dispensary has a coveted strain on sale for $200\/ounce? That\u2019s more than half off the price you might typically encounter anywhere in the state, so it\u2019s definitely worth the email clutter to stay in the loop.<\/p>\n<p>Also, are you a military vet? Shopping for a pediatric medical cannabis user? Are you on Medicaid? Then you get a discount on cannabis purchases in New Jersey! Depending on which dispensary, discounts range between 30% to 50%.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s a lot of green.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-finally-medical-tax-is-going-away\">Finally, medical tax is going away <\/h2>\n<p>It was scandalous when New Jersey\u2019s Chris Christie-era regulators added sales tax to medical cannabis purchases. Forcing sick people to pay even more\u20146.625% more, to be exact\u2014added insult to the burdens of a costly, over-regulated program.<\/p>\n<p>Under Gov. Phil Murphy, that medical cannabis excise tax has gradually <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.nj.us\/treasury\/taxation\/marijuanasalestaxchangenotice.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ratcheted down<\/a>, to 4% and then to 2%, and soon it will flatten to zero. The sales tax on medical marijuana purchases in New Jersey will sunset for good on July 1, 2022. <\/p>\n<p>When adult-use sales begin later this year, an ounce of cannabis flower will be subject to a 33% excise tax, plus 6.625% sales tax. That\u2019s a bite\u2014and a good reason to keep your NJ med card current, as patients will pay zero tax on their weed purchases. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-still-no-homegrow-come-on\">Still no homegrow? Come on<\/h2>\n<p>Even with discounts and sales, cannabis still ain\u2019t cheap in NJ, where home grown cannabis remains very illegal. Patients who grow their own can face up to five years in jail for a single plant.<\/p>\n<p>Absent homegrow provisions, advocates are pushing for something like insurance coverage for medical cannabis purchases in NJ. There\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.app.com\/story\/news\/local\/new-jersey\/marijuana\/2021\/06\/21\/medical-marijuana-nj-taxpayers-bills-legal-weed\/7720187002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">legislation pending in Trenton<\/a>&nbsp;to do just that.<\/p>\n<p>Since cannabis remains illegal on a federal level, insurance companies (regulated by the feds) won\u2019t touch it with a 10-foot pole. Instead these expenses would be covered by state programs including the&nbsp;Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund and PAAD (Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled.) <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-rec-day-one-is-coming\">Rec Day One is coming <\/h2>\n<p>Finally, NJ voters legalized recreational cannabis on Election Day, 2020. The first licenses for adult-use sales are expected to be issued sometime in the next few months. According to Jeff Brown of the state&nbsp;Cannabis Regulatory Commission, the rollout of recreational cannabis won\u2019t displace or de-prioritize patients who use medical cannabis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecreational cannabis will become available but it will be taxed at a higher rate,\u201d says Brown, \u201cand patients will have priority access even when those sales start\u2014meaning they will have access to more products.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Priority access sounds good\u2014but be sure to stock up on your meds prior to NJ\u2019s adult-use opening day. Things can get a little chaotic in that first week.<\/p>\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s note: This article originally appeared on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidernj.com\/getting-njs-medical-cannabis-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span>InsiderNJ<\/span><\/a>, where Jay Lassiter is a<span> regular columnist. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/pro-tips-for-new-jersey-medical-marijuana-patients.jpg\" alt=\"Jay Lassiter's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>Jay Lassiter<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Jay has been covering New Jersey politics since 2005, when he founded a political journalism site and became the first credentialed statehouse blogger in America. He currently reports on politics for Leafly and the New York Observer.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/jay-lassiter\">View Jay Lassiter&#8217;s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2022-03-08 08:20:06 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pro tips for New Jersey medical marijuana patients | Leafly Link copied to your clipboard Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. When it comes to cannabis I\u2019m an illicit market kinda guy. I\u2019ve got a nice hippie lady who\u2019s a lot cheaper than the dispensary&nbsp;and&nbsp;she delivers to my home. And if it\u2019s one of those weeks, she\u2019s always generous&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4683,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/pro-tips-for-new-jersey-medical-marijuana-patients.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4682\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}