Yes, New York has passed a medical marijuana statute through the legislative process, but the details of the law, and how thoroughly the state will choose to implement it, remain to be seen.
Generally speaking, New York now authorizes medical marijuana for a handful of serious and life-threatening conditions, including multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Huntington’s disease, Parkinsons, HIV/AIDS, cancer, and spinal cord injuries.
The law allows the state to expand that list to include other conditions, but the law is intended to be very narrowly targeted.
Patients who are authorized to utilize medical marijuana won’t have access to smokable marijuana through the 20 dispensaries that the law authorizes.
Patients will have access to legal cannabis oil, vaporizers, and other ingestible forms of the drug, but not smokable plant material.
As laws about appropriate use of marijuana continue to evolve, there’s room for more and more patients to get caught up in legal problems related to the state’s outdated drug laws.
When that happens, you need an experienced NYC medical marijuana attorney. Call (212) 577-6677 to schedule a consultation right away.