New Jersey lawmakers are considering legislation that would require that workers compensation insurers pay for medical marijuana, according to a draft of a bill prefiled Monday.
Assembly 1708 states that “an employer or workers' compensation insurance carrier or private passenger automobile insurance carrier shall provide coverage for costs associated with the medical use of marijuana” if certain provisions are met.
The injured worker, for example, must be authorized to access marijuana for medical use, in accordance with state law, and at “least one other medication or treatment has been attempted and found to be unsuccessful in treating the patient's debilitating medical condition,” a draft of the bill states.
New Jersey lawmakers also introduced on Monday bills that would tweak the state’s comp system:
Canada may have been the first country in the world to legalize medical marijuana back in 2001, but its provinces are still grappling with what that means in the workers compensation world.