DOH Reports on State’s Medical Marijuana Program

November 19th, 2018

On Wednesday, the state Department of Health (DOH) issued its second two-year report on the state’s medical marijuana program.

The report recommends changes to increase patient access and further improve the state’s Medical Marijuana Program, including allowing practitioners to certify patients who previously did not qualify for medical marijuana; permitting all practitioners who can prescribe controlled substances to people to become registered providers; and initiating a pilot study to assess the cost-benefits of health insurance coverage for medical marijuana.  It also recommends implementing regulatory amendments to promote research studies of approved medical marijuana products, allow registered organizations to use third-party contractors for security, and make other regulatory amendments to continue to enhance the program.

DOH Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said:

“New York’s Medical Marijuana Program has grown quickly since its launch almost three years ago. Nearly 81,000 certified patients and more than 2,000 registered practitioners are now participating in the program.  The recommendations in the two-year report are part of the continuous work to improve the quality of this program to help New Yorkers who are suffering from serious and debilitating conditions.”