Which Conditions Make You Eligible To Obtain A NYS Medical Marijuana Card?
As per New York State law, patients diagnosed with one of the following conditions are considered eligible for medical marijuana: Cancer, positive status for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), 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 (IBD), ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s Disease, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy, neuropathies and Huntington’s Disease, chronic pain, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD.)
Please note: The foregoing conditions are only eligible if they produce one or more of the listed symptoms: Cachexia or Wasting Syndrome, Severe or Chronic Pain, Severe Nausea, Seizures, Severe or Persistent Muscle Spasms.
To become a participant in New York State Medical Marijuana Program, person:
- must be a resident of New York State, or receiving care and treatment in New York State;
- must be suffering from at least one serious condition that makes him or her eligible for medical marijuana, as provided by law;
- Must be under the continuing care of recommending health care practitioner;
- Must be registered with the Department of Health;
- Must pay a $50 application fee (currently waived),
- Must carry registry ID card at all times when in possession of cannabis;
- Must not consume medical cannabis in a public place;
- Must not obtain or possess cannabis in excess of amounts specified by health care practitioner;
- Must not knowingly share, sell, trade or otherwise deliver medical cannabis to anyone who is not a registered patient.
Click on the button below to start the certification process.
Medical Marijuana Program Requirements
Once the patient receives the registry ID card, he or she may purchase approved medical marijuana products, as recommended by the certifying physician, from a registered dispensary. At the time of purchase, the patient must have his or her registry ID card and the corresponding physician’s certification.
Locations of dispensing facilities may be found here.
After purchasing medical marijuana, the patient must keep the medicine in the same original package in which it was dispensed except for the portion removed for immediate consumption. The patient must also have his or her registry ID card at any time the patient is in possession of medical marijuana.
As a general rule, all cards will expire one year after the date on which the physician signs the certification form.
There are certain exceptions to that rule. First, the physician may state in the certification that the patient would benefit from medical marijuana only until a specified date, in which case the registry ID card will expire on the date the doctor lists in the certification. Second, there is no expiration date for a written certification when the physician determines that the patient has a terminal condition. In that case, the patient’s the registry ID card will indicate that the patient is terminally ill and that the card remains valid for the life of the patient. In all other cases, upon the expiration of one year, the patient must obtain a new certification from the physician in order to renew his or her registry ID card.