The first step is speaking with your treating practitioner about whether the medical use of marijuana is appropriate for your condition. If your practitioner determines it is an appropriate treatment for you and he or she is registered with the New York State Department of Health’s Medical Marijuana Program, he or she may issue you a certification for medical marijuana.

The Commissioner must approve any form of medical marijuana. Approved forms include, but are not limited to: solid or semi-solid dosage forms (such as capsules, tablets, and lozenges), metered liquid or oil preparations (for vaporization or oral administration), metered ground plant preparations, and topicals and transdermal patches. Under the law, smoking is not permitted and the regulations prohibit edibles. Please contact the registered organization directly to find out more about the products they have available.

The patient’s certifying practitioner must include the following information on the patient’s certification: the authorized brand and form of the approved medical marijuana, the administration method, and any limitations on the use of approved medical marijuana product. If a practitioner has a recommendation regarding dosage, it should also be included on the certification, although a recommendation on dosage is not required. Moreover, the total amount of product that may be dispensed may not exceed a thirty-day supply.

Once you possess a certification from a registered practitioner, you must register with the Medical Marijuana program through the Department’s online Patient Registration System. You can find detailed instructions on the registration process, including how to register on behalf of a minor or an individual who is otherwise incapable of consenting to medical treatment, by visiting: Information for Patients

After your registration is approved, you will be issued a Temporary Registry Identification Card, which may be used in conjunction with a government issued photo identification card until you receive your registry identification card in the mail. Dispensing facility locations can be found by clicking here: Registered Organizations

Yes. If the applicant for a registry identification card is under the age of eighteen (18) or a person who is otherwise incapable of consenting to medical treatment, the application must be submitted by an appropriate person over twenty-one (21) years of age. The applicant must designate at least one, and up to two, caregivers who must be among the following: (i) a parent or legal guardian of the certified patient; (ii) a person designated by a parent or legal guardian; or (iii) an appropriate person approved by the Department upon a sufficient showing that no parent or legal guardian is available or appropriate. The designated caregiver must also register in order to receive a registry ID card of their own in order to purchase the medical marijuana on behalf of the patient. You can find detailed instructions on the registration process, by visiting: Information for Patients.

A patient who is registered with the program must first designate you as a caregiver during the patient registration process. After the patient’s registration has been approved by the Department, the caregiver(s) must register with the Department. The patient will have access to instructions for caregiver registration. To register with the Department as a designated caregiver, you must be a resident of New York State and have a valid New York State Driver’s License or New York State Non-Driver ID card. You can find detailed instructions on the registration process, by visiting: Designated Caregiver Information

There is a non-refundable application fee of fifty dollars ($50) that the Department is currently waiving for all patients and their designated caregivers.

After your registration is approved you will be issued a Temporary Registry Identification Card Registry Identification Card, which may be used in conjunction with a government issued photo identification until you receive your registry identification card in the mail. Please allow approximately seven business days to receive your Patient or Caregiver Registry ID Card. Dispensing facility locations can be found by clicking here: Registered Organizations

Please visit the following link for information, including links to the Registered Organizations’ websites: Registered Organizations

A certified patient may receive medical marijuana products from any dispensing facility of any Registered Organization in New York State. For a list of locations in New York, please visit: Registered Organizations

No. Please contact the registered organization directly to learn more about the products they have available. Contact information may be found here: Registered Organizations Registered organizations must make available at least one brand that has an equal ratio of THC to CBD, and one brand with a low-THC-high-CBD ratio). Each Registered Organization will also offer other products that have varying ratios of THC to CBD.

Registered Organizations may dispense up to a 30-day supply of medical marijuana to a certified patient or designated caregiver, pursuant to any recommendations or limitations made by the practitioner on the certification. Registered Organizations report their medical marijuana dispensing to the New York State Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) database, so that prescribers may review their patients’ controlled substance histories and make informed treatment decisions.

Work with your certifying practitioner or a dispensing facility pharmacist to determine if a change in product, change in dose, or discontinuation of the product is appropriate.

If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, call 911 or go to an emergency room immediately. If you believe you are experiencing an adverse event that is not life-threatening from the approved medical marijuana product, contact your practitioner.