ALBANY, N.Y. (November 14, 2018) - The New York State Department of Health today announced that it has issued the second two-year report on the Medical Use of Marijuana Under the Compassionate Care Act. The report recommends changes to increase patient access and further improve New York's Medical Marijuana Program.
These recommendations include allowing practitioners, based on clinical evaluation and their discretion, 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. In addition, the report 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.
"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," said Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker. "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."
For more information on the 2018 Two-Year Report for the Medical Use of Marijuana Under the Compassionate Care Act, visit: https://health.ny.gov/regulations/medical_marijuana/.
