New York Expands Medical Cannabis Program Eligibility

New York has a new medical cannabis patient certification and registration process that should make the program significantly more inclusive, according to a Rochester First report.

Under the changes, New Yorkers can now be registered for the state’s medical cannabis program by a practitioner for any condition they see fit. Additionally, New York’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) expanded the types of medical practitioners who can make recommendations for the program to include dentists, podiatrists, and midwives. Previously, New York’s medical cannabis program had been restricted to patients with severe conditions such as epilepsy and cancer.

Patients, doctors, and medical cannabis operators praised the decision.

“I think it’s great that they have taken the control of this substance away from the government and give it to the practitioners who are trained to know how to dispense any drug and to treat anything.” — Dr. James Saperstone, via Rochester First

Vireo Health, a multi-state medical cannabis operator with businesses in New York, said in a statement: “Yesterday’s decision to allow doctors to recommend medical marijuana to patients for any condition they see fit is a common sense advancement that will help the program reach countless new patients.”

Other recent OCM changes to the program have included waiving new cannabis patient registration fees, increasing the amount of medical cannabis available to patients from a 30-day to a 60-day supply, and allowing for the sale of whole flower cannabis products under the program.

New York first legalized medical cannabis in 2014 under a highly restrictive program; more recently, The Empire State approved adult-use cannabis legalization in March 2021. Recreational cannabis business licenses are not expected in the state until at least 2023.