Moving forward!
A state administrative law judge from New Jersey, Judge Ingrid L. French, has recently ruled that an insurance company must pay for a man’s voter-approved medical marijuana. This ruling is big news and will hopefully set precedent for future legal disputes between cannabis patients and insurance coverage.
Medical marijuana patient, Andrew Watson, from Egg Harbor, NJ sought financial reimbursement from his insurance company for the medical cannabis he purchased from a local dispensary. Judge French concluded that Mr. Watson’s medical ailments met the criteria for the State of New Jersey’s list of qualifying conditions.
The Judge agreed that medical cannabis is indeed “medicinal” after consideration of testimony from a local neurologist & psychiatrist who supports medical marijuana as real, effective medicine. The Judge said:
“The evidence presented in these proceedings show that the petitioner’s ‘trial’ use of medicinal marijuana has been successful. While the court is sensitive to the controversy surrounding the medicinal use of marijuana, whether or not it should be prescribed for a patient in a state where it is legal to prescribe it as a medical decision that is written within the boundaries of the laws in the state”
The Judge went on to say that Watson’s decision to seek and treat his pain with cannabis is “cautious, mature and… exceptionally conscientious.” With the country’s current, out-of-control opiate addiction the Judge believes Watson’s approach to pain management will ultimately serve him best.
The plaintiffs attorney, Philip Faccenda, has called the judge’s ruling “a less expensive treatment modality” for folks needing help from New Jersey’s Worker Compensation programs. This ruling could be a game changer for the way insurance companies handle and process claims regarding cannabis.
