New York’s medical marijuana program now allows “any” condition

Medical cannabis patients around the world gained a new ally Monday when New York state expanded its medical marijuana program to cover “any” condition for which a doctor recommends the herbal drug.

Previously, only certain types of patients with serious illnesses (eg, cancer, HIV) in the Empire State had safe and legal access to tested medicinal cannabinoids. But on Monday, the New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) announced that the program is now open to patients with “any condition that the physician believes can be treated with medicinal cannabis.”

That’s a big win for patient advocates, who have long claimed that the science supports broader access to cannabinoids as a first-line treatment.

In California in 1996 activists introduced medical cannabis to voters as a palliative for terminal illnesses. A court ruling upheld a physician’s First Amendment right to recommend the Schedule 1 drug for any condition he deemed appropriate; after a thorough examination.

Subsequent medical marijuana laws in other states included stricter criteria for access to the life-saving plant. Many American states have unscientific and cruel medical cannabis laws that disqualify most potential patients. For example, Georgia only allows high CBD/low THC oil for terminally ill AIDS patients.

New York’s decision pulls the government out of the doctor’s office.

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“It’s great to see the medical cannabis program expand so tremendously with the launch of the new certification and registration program and the ability for practitioners to determine the qualifying conditions contained in the MRTA,” said Tremaine Wright, Chair of Cannabis Control Board.

New York’s notoriously strict medical cannabis program has recently been relaxed. Since October it has moved to:

• Enable flower sales (the most popular modality in the world);
• increase legal book values;
• waive fees;
• and reducing bureaucracy for patients in medical facilities.

The Cannabis Control Board recently took public comment on allowing home cultivation of medicinal cannabis.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo legalized the possession and use of cannabis for all adults 21 and older in March 2021. Experts expect no legal retail outlets this year.

Learn more about the qualification requirements for medical cannabis in your state at the Leafly Learn Legalization Hub.

David Downs

David Downs leads news and lifestyle coverage as California Bureau Chief for Leafly.com. He has written for WIRED, Rolling Stone and Billboard and is a former cannabis editor of the San Francisco Chronicle and the author of several cannabis books including Ed Rosenthal’s and David Downs’ Marijuana Harvest. He is the co-host of the Hash podcast. TW: @davidrdowns | IG @daviddowns

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