Proposed regulations for New York’s medical marijuana program have been published by the state health department.
The draft regulations will govern how marijuana will be grown and distributed in the state and prescribed by physicians — made legal in New York by legislation signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in July.
The Compassionate Care Act makes medical marijuana available to patients suffering from certain debilitating diseases as multiple sclerosis, ALS, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, cancer and HIV/AIDS.
The rules require patients with serious medical conditions to be certified by their physicians before applying for the registry identification card needed to receive medical marijuana. Physicians can only issue medical marijuana certificates if they are registered with the state health department and have received training approved by the department. Patient certifications will be good for up to one year.
The state plans to issue five licenses for the manufacture and distribution of medical marijuana in New York. The draft rules set forth application requirements for those licenses. Registered organization licensees would be required to pay a $200,000 registration fee for the two-year license. Registered organizations would be required to maintain separate facilities for manufacturing and dispensing medical marijuana and would have to meet strict security guidelines.
Each registered organization would initially be permitted to produce up to five types of medical marijuana products. The state health commissioner would approve the forms and delivery systems through which medical marijuana could be offered, excluding smoking, which will be prohibited. Independent laboratory testing would verify cannabinoid content to ensure consistency.
“Our goal is to ensure that New Yorkers have access to the treatment they need through a controlled, regulated process,” acting State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said in a press release announcing the draft regulations. “As an added level of security, physicians must review their patients’ history of controlled substances in the I-STOP database before a certification can be issued and before medical marijuana can be dispensed.”
The Medical Marijuana Program proposed regulations will be published in the Dec. 31 New York State Register. The public then has 45 days to comment on the proposed regulations. A copy of the proposed regulations can be found on the state health department’s website.
More information on New York’s medical marijuana program can be found here
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