Pubdate: Wed, 06 Jan 2016
Source: Boston Globe (MA)
Copyright: 2016 Associated Press
Contact: http://services.bostonglobe.com/news/opeds/letter.aspx?id=6340
Website: http://bostonglobe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/52
Author: David Klepper, Associated Press

NEW YORK MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROGRAM TO BEGIN THURSDAY

ALBANY (AP) - New Yorkers with cancer, AIDS, Parkinson's disease, or 
other qualifying conditions will be able to obtain medical marijuana 
as early as Thursday, 18 months after lawmakers passed what is 
considered one of the strictest medical cannabis programs in the nation.

The program is off to a slow start: Only 150 physicians have 
completed the required registration with the state, and only eight of 
20 dispensaries expect to open on Thursday. The remaining 12 are 
expected to open by month's end.

"Our pharmacists are ready," said Nicholas Vita, CEO of Columbia Care 
NY, which intends to open its first dispensary this week near 
Manhattan's Union Square, followed by other locations in Suffolk, 
Clinton and Monroe counties. "Our product is ready. It's been tested 
by the state and validated."

To receive medical cannabis a person must obtain certification from a 
physician registered with the program, and apply for an 
identification card from the state's Department of Health. The drugs 
will come in the forms of capsules and oils and tinctures that can be 
vaporized or used in inhalers.

The state's caution was intended to address fears that marijuana 
would be diverted for recreational uses.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom