The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) oversees New York’s medical cannabis program. The program allows medical providers to certify patients for medical cannabis for any debilitating conditions they deem qualifying. New York also eliminated its physical MMJ card and issues electronic Registry IDs to patients and caregivers. These IDs are contained in the certifications patients obtain from their medical providers.
New York allows certifying healthcare providers to assess the patients they are recommending for medical cannabis in person or via telehealth services. To certify a patient, a provider must have a New York practitioner license and a DEA registration allowing them to prescribe controlled substances to humans. New York also mandates practitioners to complete a minimum two-hour course on medical cannabis. Practitioners must also search the PMP Registry to review patients’ controlled substance histories before certifying them. With medical providers handling patient certification and registration in the New York medical cannabis program, there may be a significant cost to the medical consultation required for these steps. Patients should expect to pay $100 - $400 for getting certified for medical cannabis in New York.
Patients and caregivers do not need to apply to the OCM to join the New York medical cannabis program. A provider certification already includes Registry IDs for the patient and up to five designated caregivers. Therefore, there is no fee for registering in the state’s medical cannabis program except the consultation fee paid to the certifying medical provider.