It used to be really difficult to get a medical marijuana card in New York, but now, with the addition of chronic pain as a condition that qualifies for getting the card and with the possibility to request it entirely online, the process can be really simple if you follow the right steps. Here’s how the New York Medical Marijuana Program works and how you can get your card in the easiest way possible.
The New York State’s Medical Marijuana Program is a program that allows patients who suffer from some specific serious conditions to be certified by a practitioner to receive medical marijuana products for medical use.
The practitioners must complete a four-hour course of the New York State Department of Health and register with the Department to certify patients. And the patients that wish to be treated with medical marijuana must search these practitioners and get certified by them. In addition, after the patients get certified by the practitioners they must also apply to the Department to receive the New York MMJ card that gives them the right to buy medical marijuana.
First of all, you must be a legal resident of the state of New York and you need to have an authentic form of New York state identification as a proof of residency. If you don’t have your New York ID card, a passport with a New York address can be used. And if it happens that you don’t have either, a utility bill or even a bank statement may be accepted as a proof of residency.
In addition to that, you also need to have one of the qualifying conditions to get New York MMJ Card. The conditions include cancer, positive status for HIV or AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathy, chronic pain as defined in 10 NYCRR §1004.2(a)(8)(xi), post-traumatic stress disorder or Huntington’s disease. The patients must also have at least one of the following associated or complicating conditions: seizures, cachexia or wasting syndrome, severe or chronic pain, severe nausea, or severe or persistent muscle spasms.
The first thing you must do is get a written certification from a certified practitioner. You can get the certification with a doctor from Veriheal who has the authorization to write a recommendation of medical marijuana for you. When our doctors confirm that you meet the requirements above, the process is fairly easy, and you can get your recommendation by following three basic steps that are explained here.
After that, you’ll have to complete your application and register with the New York MMJ Program (and pay a $50 application fee). Once approved, you will receive your card by mail, and then you’ll be able to purchase the medical marijuana.
After receiving your New York MMJ card, you can purchase approved types of medical marijuana that are sold only at dispensaries that are associated with the registered organizations in New York that are monitored by the state. The Department of Health has a list with the location of the dispensaries and registered organizations that you can find here.
It’s important to note that smoking marijuana and edibles are still illegal, the only types of medical marijuana available that you can get with the card are:
As shown above, it can be easy to get your medical marijuana card in New York if you have the right information and steps to follow, especially because you can do everything online. I hope this article helps to guide you through the process of getting a medical marijuana card, and if you still have any questions you can send us a message in the contact section of our site. Don’t forget, we also serve Washington DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Montana!
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