"A New Jersey worker's compensation judge has ordered this municipality to cover the cost of a municipal employee's medical marijuana, saying that the federally banned weed is safer than prescription painkillers.
"This is not the first time the New Jersey workers compensation court has ordered an employer to provide such benefits, but the worker's attorney, Leonard Weiss, said he was not personally aware of such an order being given to a municipality.
"The decision comes as New Jersey appears to be moving closer to legalizing recreational use of marijuana — an issue that Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy campaigned in favor. New Jersey is one of 30 states with medical marijuana laws. Nine states have legalized its recreational use. "But because marijuana remains illegal under federal law, federal prosecutors can still press charges against drug users and distributors in these states. Banks also have been reluctant to do business with legal marijuana dispensaries out of fear of running afoul of federal regulations.
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Jon L. Gelman of Wayne NJ is the author of NJ Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thomson-Reuters) and co-author of the national treatise, Modern Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thomson-Reuters).
