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What you will learn in this post:
Three New Jersey municipalities will offer health insurance coverage for medical cannabis through a partnership with the major insurance carriers Aetna and Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. Under the partnership, city employees in Trenton and school district employees in Orange and Teaneck will be able to receive financial assistance for medical cannabis through Bennabis Health, a company specializing in making cannabis more accessible and more affordable, news site NJBiz reported last week.
The new partnership appears to be the first time medical cannabis coverage has been offered to public employees in the United States, according to a report from cannabis news source Marijuana Moment. Under the plan, covered workers will receive a discount of at least 15% on medical cannabis purchases.
Bennabis also announced that the company is currently negotiating with other local governments to offer similar employee health coverage for medical cannabis. Don Parisi, Bennabis co-founder and president, characterized the new plans as historic.
“What is happening with Trenton is so profound that, to our knowledge, it is the first time in U.S. history that an employer who is not already in the cannabis industry is offering to make cannabis accessible as an employee benefit,” Parisi said. “So this is not only a local milestone, it is likely a first in national history.”
First Company To Offer Medical Cannabis Coverage
Last year, Bennabis announced that it was launching the “first group health medical cannabis program.” The coverage is available as an optional workplace benefit designed to reduce out-of-pocket costs for employees who use medical cannabis. The company now offers discounts for covered employees at dispensaries in Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, and Washington, D.C.
Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora told NJ.com that he supports Bennabis’s mission of normalizing medical marijuana as a healthcare benefit.
“We’re excited to support Bennabis’s initiative to provide insurance coverage for medical marijuana,” he said. “This forward-thinking plan not only makes treatment more accessible for patients but also acknowledges the growing body of evidence supporting the benefits of medical marijuana.”
Steph Sherer, founder and president of the national medical cannabis patient advocacy group Americans for Safe Access, applauded the news about employee health insurance benefits for medical cannabis, calling the development “really exciting.”
“We’ve seen this in other alternative care — discounts for chiropractic services and acupuncture. Now the model is being applied to cannabis,” Sherer said.
In addition to public entities, Bennabis Health offers medical cannabis coverage plans to private employers. The company also offers individual plans for workers who do not have coverage through their workplace. With an individual plan, patients can receive a 15% discount on medical cannabis purchases made at participating dispensaries.
Company Expanding Operations to Maine
Last week, Bennabis announced that it was expanding its dispensary network to include the Sweet Dirt and Brilliant Buds dispensaries in Maine. Noting that the state does not currently require independent lab testing of medical cannabis, the companies said in a press release that products available through the partnership will be “subject to mandatory testing for pesticides, heavy metals, and toxins, as well as yeast and mold to protect health and safety, at the best pricing in Maine.”
“Since Maine medical cannabis is not required to be independently tested, tracked and traced from seed to sale, we have a unique opportunity to expand our services to our patients by joining the Bennabis network,” said Taylor Michaud, manager of the Brilliant Buds and Sweet Dirt retail store operations.
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The information in this article and any included images or charts are for educational purposes only. This information is neither a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional legal advice or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about laws, regulations, or your health, you should always consult with an attorney, physician or other licensed professional.
