The NJ Assembly passed a bill to allow for sickle cell anemia to be made a qualifying condition to become an official medical cannabis patient.
The bill A 913 would add it to the list of existing medical cannabis conditions which qualify a person to become a New Jersey medical cannabis patient.
There was no debate about its passage. The sickle cel anemia bill passed 70-2-4 with 70 Assemblymembers voting for it, two voting no, and four abstaining.
It was sponsored by Verlina Reynolds Jackson (D-15-Mercer) and William Spearman (D-5-Gloucester). It was co-sponsored by Assemblyman Joe Danielson (D-17-Somerset).
The medical cannabis sickle cell anemia bill was passed by the Assembly Health Committee on March 6th in a 9-1-1 vote with one dissenting vote one Assemblymember abstaining.
It was passed by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Tuesday the 20th in a 9-0 with 2 abstaining.
Its companion S 2392 was introduced last January in the State Senate by Shirley Turner (D-15-Mercer) and Angela McKnight (D-31-Hudson). It was co-sponsored by Benji Wimberly (D-35-Passaic). But it has not passed any State Senate committees
According to a legislative analysis, about 64,000 sickle cell anemia patients lived in Jersey last year.
