Medical marijuana dispensaries open in New York
This Thursday, January 7, 2016, 18 months after the law was passed, eight of the twenty dispensaries planned to offer medicinal marijuana will open their doors to the public.
Since December 23, 2015, patients have begun registering for approval, but only those with a credential issued by the Department of Health and approved by physicians who have completed a special course will have access to medical marijuana. Patients must also provide photo identification and proof of residency in the state.
Although the law allows the Health Commissioner to add other pathologies, the list of diseases that can receive cannabis treatment is limited: cancer, AIDS (HIV), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, damage to nerve tissue of the spinal cord, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathies, Huntington's disease, and cachexia.
Medical marijuana will not be dispensed for smoking but in the form of oil, capsules, or pills.
Some potential users have criticized the dispensing process and the number of steps required to access it, as it is difficult to find a doctor who can prescribe it, and the Department of Health has not provided a list. However, according to the Department of Health, 150 doctors have enrolled in the mandatory course required to prescribe medical marijuana.
These are the 5 companies that obtained the license to dispense marijuana and own the 20 dispensaries in the state of New York:
- Bloomfield Industries will manufacture the drug in Queens County. It will have dispensaries in Nassau, New York, Onondaga, and Erie counties.
- Columbia Care will manufacture the drug in Monroe County. Its dispensaries will be located in New York, Suffolk, Clinton, and Monroe counties.
- Vireo Health: its production will take place in Fulton County. It will have dispensaries in Broome, Albany, Westchester, and Queens counties.
- Etain will produce in Warren County. Its marijuana dispensaries will be located in Albany, Ulster, Westchester, and Onondaga counties.
- PharmaCann will manufacture the drug in Orange County. It will have dispensaries in Erie, Onondaga, Albany, and the Bronx counties.
Fountain: The Daily