Hospitals Vie to Become Medical-Marijuana Dispensaries in N.J.

Teaching hospitals in New Jersey say they should hold a monopoly over marijuana distribution as the state plans to implement its medical-marijuana law, NJ.com reported July 12.

The New Jersey Council of Teaching Hospitals argues that secure buildings, patient connections, and solid reputation make its members ideal candidates to facilitate medical-marijuana distribution. “The program not only will make New Jersey a model for the nation in how to implement a safe and sane medical marijuana program, it could bring significant new dollars to the teaching hospitals to fund graduate medical education therein addressing New Jersey’s physician manpower shortage,” the council said.

Under the plan, medical marijuana would be grown at Rutgers University’s School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and allocated to 16 large teaching hospitals statewide. Patients would order the drug online and pick them up at hospital pharmacies.