New Jersey Marijuana Legalization 2016: State May Legalize Medical Weed for Period Cramps

Impact

In an exciting move for all the menstrual-cramp sufferers of New Jersey, state Assemblyman Tim Eustace announced plans to introduce legislation on Friday that would make period cramps a qualifying condition to receive a prescription for medical marijuana, Forbes reported.

"We have a lot of people leaving the state for treatment and hopefully this will change that," Eustace told Forbes. New Jersey legalized medical marijuana back in 2010, according to NORML, a marijuana lobbying group. However, according to the New Jersey Department of Health, Forbes reported, only 6,527 patients have been authorized.

Mel Evans/AP

Currently, the state's requirements for qualifying for medical marijuana include "chronic pain" but not menstrual cramps, Forbes reported, but Eustace is hoping to change that. He was reportedly inspired to introduce the new legislation in part by the recent news that Whoopi Goldberg planned to launch a line of marijuana products to treat period pain. "I don't want this to be a joke to people. It's not a joke to women," Goldberg told USA Today, speaking about the new venture.

Read more: The Booming Marijuana Industry Is Still Too White