New York Closer to Allowing Medical Marijuana for Chronic Pain

On Dec. 1, the New York Department of Health announced that it will add chronic pain as a qualifying condition for the medical marijuana program. It will publish proposed rules, “which will include language specifying the chronic pain conditions that would qualify for medical marijuana.”

Under current law, patients only qualify if their pain is caused by one of a few qualifying conditions. Allowing medical cannabis for patients with chronic pain will vastly expand the number of seriously ill patients who can enroll in the program. Medical cannabis can reduce patients’ reliance on dangerous opioids and lead to a statewide reduction in opioid overdoes.

Once the Department of Health publishes its proposed rules, the public will have the opportunity to comment before they become final. Stay tuned for more information about how you can submit your comments, and please pass the good news on to other compassionate New Yorkers.