The New York Senate just approved this critical marijuana bill

New York State lays the foundation for legal marijuana. On Wednesday, the New York Senate approved a bill that would require public health insurance to cover medical marijuana expenses. It’s one of the most important legal marijuana rulings in any state, one that would prove to the law that the plant has true medicinal value.

Per Marijuana Moment, the legislation sponsored by Senator Diane Savino is currently awaiting assembly approval. While the bill only requires public health insurance to participate, it encourages private insurance to do the same.

In order for medical marijuana to be covered by public health plans like Medicaid, Child Health Plus, and others, the state would have to define medical marijuana as a “prescription drug,” “insured drug,” or “health care provider.”

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“For thousands of patients, medical marijuana is a safer and more effective drug than other drugs, particularly opioids,” according to a memo accompanying the bill. “While it can be prohibitively expensive for many patients, especially without insurance coverage, it can often be cheaper than what their insurance coverage pays for other drugs.”

One of the biggest problems with medical marijuana has been the fact that many state health insurance programs don’t offer coverage. Given marijuana prices, this leaves many people with no choice and has been a barrier to legal marijuana programs across the country.

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Medical marijuana finds support from everyone, from doctors who value the plant’s medicinal properties to patients who prefer it over prescription drugs. Statutory health insurance coverage for marijuana is necessary for the drug to be considered a safe and valid medical option for the general public.