New York’s Department of Health Releases Medical Cannabis Provider List
The New York Department of Health (DOH) has released a list of doctors, nurse practitioners and physicians who are willing to publicly participate in the state’s medical cannabis program for the first time on May 5. The handy list comes complete with names, specialties, addresses and phone numbers.
The list contains contact information on about 315 licensed practitioners throughout New York state. The Compassionate Care Act was enacted nearly 16 months ago, and access to medicine is still being developed.
The list was created in response to patient complaints over the difficulty of narrowing down doctors who are willing to participate. For nearly a year, patients in New York were on their own in terms of finding a physician that has been authorized to recommend medical cannabis. Only 32 percent of participating providers, however, agreed to be published on the public list. The remaining participating doctors are listed on the Department’s Health Commerce System (HCS), a separate list that’s only visible to other doctors. Dr. MedMar also released a list of participating doctors on a private website. There are currently around 1,000 health providers registered to certify patients for medical cannabis.
On May 5, the DOH announced that 3,300 New York residents have joined the medical cannabis registry since last March, bringing the total to around 18,348 patients. “We are improving access to medical marijuana for patients in need across New York state,” Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker told the Albany Times-Union. “As we have said from the very beginning, we will continue to grow this program responsibly and help ease the suffering of those who may benefit from this treatment option.”
Only doctors who have registered with the state and who have completed a four-hour online course can certify patients for medical cannabis. Sen. Diane Savino, who sponsored the Compassionate Care Act, says the program has been off to a slow start because of the lack of access to registered doctors and practitioners. Patients now have the means to find a local doctors with the ease of access.
