The Department of Health has opened the Medicinal Marijuana Program (MMP) Patient Registry, allowing qualified patients and their caregivers to apply for identification cards.
The registration process will be available on the department’s new medicinal marijuana webpage, which includes a checklist on how to register, answers to frequently asked questions, and a way to submit questions via the website to customer services representatives.
“The department has made every effort to make the process as user-friendly as possible,” Health Commissioner Mary E. O’Dowd said in a press release. “Registered physicians have had access to the system since July to become familiar with it and have their questions answered.”
Participating physicians will enter their patients into the registry by creating a patient record and attesting that the patient has one of the approved debilitating medical conditions and may benefit from the use of medicinal marijuana to relieve symptoms. Only physicians registered with the MMP can authorize their patient’s use of medicinal marijuana.
Patients can find registered physicians, by county, on the MMP website at www.nj.gov/health/medicalmarijuana. Approximately 150 physicians in 20 counties have registered with the program.
The registered physician will complete and submit their patient’s “Attending Physician Statement” to the MMP. Once the doctor submits this information, they will receive an identification number for their patient. The patient will then use that number to register online with the program.
If a patient designates a caregiver to assist in the delivery of the medicinal marijuana from the Alternative Treatment Center (ATC), the caregiver must be a New Jersey resident, 18 years of age or older, and may not serve as a caregiver for another patient. Caregivers are required to register with the program.
In order to get an identification card, patients must submit a photograph, proof of current New Jersey residency, proof of identification by providing a copy of government issued photo identification and, if applicable, documentation of receipt of certain state and federal assistance programs. The MMP will verify this information and if the applicant is approved, the patient will be instructed on steps for payment of the registration fee and completion of registration.
A caregiver will be required to submit a photograph, proof of current New Jersey residency, proof of identification, documentation of receipt of certain state and federal assistance programs if applicable, and submit to a caregiver criminal history background check in order to be approved as a caregiver.
The registration fee for patients and caregivers is $200 and is valid for two years. Patients and caregivers who qualify for certain state and federal assistance programs can pay a reduced registration fee of $20.
Once the registration process is completed and payment has been submitted, the program will issue an MMP identification card to the patient and if applicable their caregiver. Patient and caregiver identification cards will be forwarded from the program to the patient’s ATC of choice for distribution.
The MMP physician, patient and caregiver registration is an online application available at https://njmmp.nj.gov/ njmmp/index.html.
In order to streamline the process, payment is also an online process and is incorporated in the registration application. A patient may submit their application from their personal or any publicly available computer. The MMP has enlisted the assistance of physicians registered with the program to assist their patients with the registration process.
Additionally, two ATCs have established sites around the state to conduct patient registration. A list of available ATC registration sites is available at nj.gov/health/medicalmarijuana.
The department has established a customer service unit to assist patients, caregivers and physicians in the registration process. The customer service line, 609- 292-0424, is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
For answers to frequently asked questions, visit the Internet website at http://www.state.nj.us/health/medicalmarijuana/ faqs.shtml.