A huge step to help N.J. medical weed patients is coming soon. No other state has done this.

It looked like the typical open enrollment session at Trenton City Hall one day last month, with a line of tables covered in pamphlets, pens and tchotchkes promoting the latest in dental, prescription drug and other health insurance offerings for the upcoming year.

But it was actually an historic moment in health care.

A dozen years after New Jersey allowed the sale of medical marijuana for registered patients coping with pain, muscle spasms, nausea, anxiety and other conditions, medicinal cannabis products will be among the benefits available to government employees in some communities for the first time next year.

Employees of the city of Trenton and the Orange and Teaneck boards of education will have the opportunity to sign up for discounts on cannabis at participating dispensaries, as well telehealth appointments through a benefit add-on known as Bennabis Health.

A company that has brokered discounts between dispensaries and medical marijuana patients since 2020, Bennabis Health also is in negotiations with other local government entities to join, said John Agos, Bennabis Health's CEO.

Cannabis has always been expensive for patients, with New Jersey's prices among the most pricey.

Bennabis's goal is to help normalize cannabis as medicine, the company's co-founder and President Don Parisi said.

"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."

The collaboration in Trenton includes Aetna, the insurance carrier, Leafwell, a telehealth company that will help patients get their state registration cards and obtain educational materials on cannabis, and the pharmacy benefits manager Broadreach Medical Resources, Agos said.

"Medical cannabis has to resemble health care from all aspects, physician, pharmacy, education - all the components of health care," Agos said. "That is what this collaboration will do. It's seamless. You will not feel any different from going to get an antibiotic versus cannabis, except your access point will be a dispensary."

So far, the participating dispensaries are Camden Apothecary in Camden, The Cannabist in Deptford and Vineland, Elevated by the CannaBoss Lady in Maplewood, Holistic Solutions in Atco,URB'N in Newark, Valley Wellness in Raritan and Yuma Way in Garfield.

Agos said they intend to sign up more dispensaries, but won't include competitors of those who are participating. "We don't need 100 dispensaries, we only need those with access to the patient pool."

Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, who was one of the prime sponsors of the statewide medical marijuana law when he served in the state Assembly, said he embraces Bennabis's mission and the city's participation.

"We're excited to support Bennabis's initiative to provide insurance coverage for medical marijuana," said Gusciora. "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,"

"By offering discounts at dispensaries and facilitating telehealth appointments, we believe this approach will significantly alleviate the financial burden on patients while enhancing their overall healthcare experience," Gusciora added.

Officials from the Teaneck and Orange boards of education did not respond to requests for comment.

Signing up for Bennabis will save registered patients at least 15% off the regular price, Bennabis officials said. A quick look at menu prices for one-eighth of an ounce of dried cannabis flower at these dispensaries range from $36 to $70 for medicinal patients, who already get a 15% discount from the price charged non-patients.

Steph Sherer, founder and president of the national cannabis patient advocacy group Americans for Safe Access, welcomed Bennabis Health's news, calling it "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.

Many hoped once weed was legal in some states for adults over 21 that prices would fall, but Sherer's organization frequently gets "heartbreaking" calls from people desperate to find discounts.

"A woman from Utah on disability took a second job mowing lawns to cover the cannabis costs but she broke her arm and wondered if we can help her find discounted cannabis," she said.

Sherer said she welcomes novel ways to preserve access to medical marijuana for patients, whose numbers always shrink after a state legalizes weed. In New Jersey, there were 70,544 registered patients, as of Oct. 15, according to the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission website. That's down from 128,548 since April 2022, when the first recreational sales began.

The needs of the medicinal cannabis patient have definitely taken a back seat to recreational consumers, Sherer said. Dispensaries stock fewer products patients want, she said.

"Patients and adult use consumers want something very different from this plant," she said, adding, "The last thing you want if you are a patient is to find something new if you have found something that works."

Bennabis Health and its partner Leafwell understand that many people don't know how to choose the strain or product that is right for their medical condition. Signing up with Bennabis at less than $10 a month connects people to doctors who can guide them to the right products.

Between Bennabis Health and Leafwell, there are podcasts, recorded webinars and s that walk patients through how cannabis affects the body. There is a menu of 20 medical conditions with links to s and patient accounts of what works for them.

Dr. Kenneth Moritsugu, a former U.S. Surgeon General, said he joined the board of Bennabis Health because the company not only helps people gain access to medical cannabis but it also "incorporates a level of education" for those who are just "getting started," to the "curious," the "ready" and "experienced."

The story of Anne Davis, an attorney and Bennabis board vice-chairman, is among the patient testimonials. She said she has used cannabis exclusively for 11 years to manage the muscle spasticity and fatigue from multiple sclerosis. Paired with a healthy diet and supplements, cannabis has allowed her to avoid the harmful side effects of pharmaceutical drugs and save money.

"I have had great success all across the board. For me I use it every night before bed," Davis said. "I can't stress enough how valuable it has been."

Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, even as the Biden Administration has begun the preliminary work of rescheduling marijuana from its designation as a schedule 1 drug, which means it has no proven medical benefits and a high potential for abuse. Keeping marijuana a schedule 1 drug has not only prevented rigorous medical trials, it has reinforced a stigma that persists among physicians.

A Trenton employee who approached the Bennabis table at the open enrollment session told Dr. June Chin, Leafwell's chief medical officer, that she would like to learn more about medical cannabis.

Chin said the woman told her that her doctor basically shrugged. "He said, I have no idea, I can't advise you." Chin said this is a typical response.

"Unfortunately, my colleagues are often not open to learning about it because of the stigma," said Chin, who is also a cannabis patient. She said that may be changing with the move to reschedule marijuana from the designation that says it has no medical benefits.

"But we are at an inflection point, with rescheduling coming," Chin said. "But even the discussion of rescheduling is opening up the minds of practitioners and patients alike."

More patients are asking for it so practitioners really need to start educating themselves about medical cannabis," she said.

Bennabis Health's goal is expansion — to enlist more municipalities and other employers as well as more dispensaries in New Jersey and beyond, Agos said. Medical marijuana is legal in 39 states and Washington D.C., where collectively 260 million people live, he noted.

Bennabis already helps deliver discounts directly to patients from dispensaries in Delaware, Washington D.C., Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico and New York. Bringing the health insurance model to these states is part of the plan, Agos said.