Marijuana is new benefits perk for some workers in NJ

⚫ Medical cannabis new insurance perk
⚫ Some NJ insurance clients can opt for Bennabis Health
⚫ Program offers medical marijuana discount

As medical cannabis marks 15 years of being legal in New Jersey, some patients have access to a medical cannabis benefit under their health insurance for the first time ever.

In 2020, Bennabis Health emerged to reduce out-of-pocket costs for medical cannabis patients by brokering discounts for patients within a network of marijuana dispensaries.

Last month, Bennabis announced it has joined forces with prescription benefit manager, Broadreach Medical Resources.

Much like a gym membership or other insurance perks - the program does not cover full costs.

Employer groups that offer the Bennabis Health medical cannabis program involve a premium membership fee, which is a negotiated per employee monthly amount, lower than the annual retail membership.

Patients then get a 15% discount on medical cannabis purchases within the Bennabis Health dispensary network — about a dozen locations statewide.

Bennabis Health’s website touts “$100 average monthly member savings on product purchases.”

The City of Trenton, Teaneck Board of Education and Orange Board of Education were the first employers offering the medical cannabis benefit, effective Jan. 1, according to Bennabis Health.

New Jersey medical dispensary prices a 0.5 gram vape cartridge between $50 and $60.

Enrolled patients would save roughly $9 off the $60 purchase.

There has been no state sales tax on medical cannabis in New Jersey since 2022.

RELATED: NJ trails most legal cannabis states when it comes to home grow

The state's Medicinal Cannabis Program now offers free digital ID cards for patients and caregivers. NJ medical cannabis program approved qualifying conditions include:

-Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
-Anxiety
-Cancer
-Chronic pain
-Dysmenorrhea
-Glaucoma
-Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease
-Intractable skeletal muscular spasticity
-Migraine
-Multiple sclerosis
-Muscular dystrophy
-Opioid Use Disorder
-Positive status for HIV and AIDS
-Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
-Seizure disorder, including epilepsy
-Terminal illness with prognosis of less than 12 months to live
-Tourette Syndrome

For New Jersey patients who choose to purchase the retail premium membership fee directly, it costs $98 for the year.

Cannabist locations in Vineland and Deptford, soon to be joined by a Mays Landing site, have been in the Bennabis Health dispensary network for over a year.

Other dispensaries within the network were Camden Apothecary, Elevated by the CannaBoss Lady, Holistic Solutions, Valley Wellness, Garfield Gardens (Yuma Way), URB'N Dispensary, Township Green and Island Vibez, as of November.

This is the first program offering a consistent discount for medical cardholders.

Individual New Jersey dispensaries have also offered their own discounts, too, including for medical cannabis patients, municipal workers, first responders, educators and seniors.

Locations with such individual discounts include Urge Dispensary in Elizabeth, Rise Dispensaries and Ayr Dispensaries, among others.

Bennabis Health premium memberships are also available to medical cannabis cardholders in New York, Delaware, Maryland. Massachusetts, New Mexico and Washington, D.C.

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