State begins medical marijuana program

NEW YORK--The New York State Department of Health (DOH) announced the state's Medical Marijuana Program launched Thursday, Jan. 7. The program will make approved forms of medical marijuana available with a physician's certification at designated dispensaries across New York State. However, with only eight dispensaries open statewide and only 150 doctors registered with the program, there are several obstacles to access for area patients.
Vice President of Community Services Lara Turbide with Finger Lakes Health noted none of their physicians are currently involved in the medical marijuana program.
"At this point, given the newness of this endeavor for New York State and the training required for physicians, none of our health system affiliated physicians are currently registered to prescribe medical marijuana nor are any currently pursuing training or certification to prescribe medical marijuana," Turbide said. "I imagine it will be under ongoing consideration as all providers regularly explore and review the types of certifications they are choosing to pursue."
Tracey Knapp, owner of Water Street Pharmacy in Dundee and Village Drug in Penn Yan, said they were just having training sessions this past weekend on the program. She noted the closest dispenser at this point is in Rochester, adding it is not even open yet. Knapp said she "would like to see it more established before jumping right on that bandwagon," adding there is a lot involved in registering for the program. Knapp also claimed she has not had any customers inquire about medical marijuana yet.
Knapp said it is a two-sided coin when it comes to access to medical marijuana for area patients. She said those who have conditions that would qualify for the program already tend to travel to visit doctors in more urban areas. Knapp claimed it would not be too much of a travel inconvenience since many patients are already traveling to these areas anyway.
The situation is the same in Schuyler County, as Executive Director of Schuyler Health Foundation Michelle Benjamin said neither Schuyler or Cayuga has policies and procedures in place yet regarding medical marijuana.
The program provides access to medical marijuana to certified patients suffering from cancer, HIV/AIDS, ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, intractable spasticity caused by damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathies and Huntington's disease. The DOH claims medical marijuana has shown to help alleviate pain and enhance the quality of life for individuals suffering from certain diseases. This measure comes 18 months after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Compassionate Care Act.
"Our program ensures the availability of pharmaceutical-grade medical marijuana products for certified patients and establishes strict regulatory controls to protect public health and safety," New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said.
Patients who qualify for the program can talk to their doctors about whether medical marijuana can benefit them. Some 150 doctors from across the state have registered for the program and can certify their patients, if clinically appropriate for their qualifying condition consistent with the DOH's guidance and regulations. Physicians who register for the program must complete a two to four hour training course and file the necessary paperwork with the DOH.
In order to obtain medical marijuana, a patient must receive a DOH Medical Marijuana Program certification from a registered physician. The patient must then access the DOH's online Patient Registration System to apply for a registry identification card. Additional information regarding registration can be found at http://www.health.ny.gov/regulations/medical_marijuana/patients/.
To apply for a registry card, certified patients will need a valid DOH Medical Marijuana Program certification form issued and signed by a registered practitioner, photographic identification, documentation of his or her temporary or permanent New York State residency, and designated caregiver information, if applicable. A patient who is under the age of 18 or who is otherwise incapable of consenting must apply through a proxy.
Patients with valid registry identification cards are then eligible to purchase medical marijuana from one of the dispensing locations across the state. The DOH selected five Registered Organizations July 31, 2015 to grow marijuana and manufacture it into approved forms. Each Registered Organization operates a manufacturing facility and four dispensing facilities.
The Registered Organizations have been working over the past several months in collaboration with the DOH to make approved medical marijuana products available to patients.
Eight dispensing facilities opened for business Jan. 7 in Onondaga, Erie, Albany, Ulster and Westchester Counties, and in Manhattan. The state website indicates both a manufacturing and dispensing facility as "opening soon" in Monroe County as part of Columbia Care N.Y. LLC. Locations of the dispensing facilities can be found on the DOH website at http://www.health.ny.gov/regulations/medical_marijuana/application/selected_applicants.htm.
The additional dispensing sites will open on a rolling basis in locations across the state throughout the month. The DOH also requested each registered organization develop a delivery option to ensure full access to patients who are unable to travel to a dispensary location due to their medical condition, or if their designated caregivers cannot obtain it for them.
More information on New York's Medical Marijuana program can be found at http://www.health.ny.gov/regulations/medical_marijuana/.