Good news, N.J. medical marijuana users: You can now buy vape cartridges.
Published on 9/13/18
New Jersey's medical marijuana program took a major step forward this week by allowing vaporizer cannabis products to patients. Vaporizer products with cannabis oil have grown in popularity in many legal cannabis states that allow them for many reasons. Vaporizing is healthier than smoking by using lower-temperature heat to warm the cannabis oil and vaporize for inhalation it thus bypassing the harmful byproducts of combustion. The cartridge and vaporizer product themselves are also more discreet than smoking and often look like a simple pen. After the NJ Department of Health waived the rule last week one dispensary, Curaleaf New Jersey, has already begun selling cannabis vaporizer cartridges with more stores looking to pickup the product soon. NewJersey's medical marijuana program has seen their patient quantity nearly double since Gov. Phil Murphy took office this year going from 16,000 to 30,000 patients and officials hope to continue growing the program and making it easier for patients to find relief.
"Vaping is healthier than smoking," said George Schidlovsky, president of Curaleaf NJ. "That opens the door to a lot of new products."
The cartridges are filled with an oily concentrate that has been extracted from the marijuana flower. The cartridge is then attached to a vaporizer, which can often looks like a pen. Instead of using a flame to combust the concentrate, the devices heat it to a temperature that causes vaporization, eliminating many of the harmful byproducts of combustion.