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Last Word: New York’s New Medical Program? Every Step Is a Positive Step

Last Friday, the great state of New York finally approved five medical marijuana licenses for dispensaries that will serve the entire population of the state — all 19.7 million residents.

If five dispensaries for nearly 20 million people sounds a little out of whack, well, welcome to New York.

It’s actually not quite what it seems. Five licenses actually means 20 dispensaries, as The New York Times pointed out:

The organizations (granted the licenses) will be registered with the state, and each plans to open four dispensaries statewide. They are required to be doing business within six months, meaning medical marijuana could be on sale in New York by the end of the year.”

So, 20 dispensaries for a state of 20 million people means each location will serve 1 million state residents, on average. If that sounds like they’re a little light on dispensaries, well, others thought so too, as The Times pointed out:

On Friday, some drug reform advocates were already suggesting that the state’s plan was too small, considering the thousands of potential patients. “There are huge areas of the state where patients will have to travel enormous distances to get medicine,” said Julie Netherland, a deputy state director at the Drug Policy Alliance, a national drug reform group. “This is especially problematic given that many medical marijuana patients are sick and disabled and low income.”

Although I agree with Julie Netherland and feel that New York is wimping out by taking such a conservative approach, no one said the road to legalization would be easy or that there would only be one path. Each state, it seems, has its own unique approach regardless of what others have found successful.

Sound crazy? It is, until you consider that this is what you get when the federal government refuses to provide any leadership and instead continues to be an impediment to any marijuana legalization and forces the states to do it themselves.

What’s disappointing about New York’s approach is that, according to Syracuse.com, only the sickest patients with 10 specific conditions will be able to get medical marijuana. Patients will need to register with the state to get an ID card, and to get a card, “patients must first be certified by a doctor treating them for their serious condition.”

Of course, insurance won’t be accepted. Patients will have to pay themselves, and the state will decide what the price of medical marijuana will be.

Plus, “medical marijuana will only be available in forms such as pills and liquids that can be taken orally or oils that can be vaporized,” Syracuse.com points out. “Marijuana that can be smoked is not permitted. Growers will only be allowed to produce five brands. Patients will not get more than a 30-day supply at a time.”

But, every step ahead, when it comes to legalizing marijuana, is a good step.There’s talk from some New York legislators that the state’s medical marijuana program will be expanded in the not-too-distant future, and that gives hope that the program would be opened up for wider use.

Yes, New York’s program is far from perfect, and actually pretty flawed in a number of significant ways, but when it comes to legalization, every step is a positive step. We should never, ever lose sight of that.

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