New York State regulators have acknowledged several shortcomings of the New York Medical Marijuana Program, which is considered by experts to be the most restrictive medical marijuana program in the United States. In August 2016, the New York State Department of Health published a 14-page report, “Medical Use of Marijuana Under the Compassionate Care Act,” which outlines the progress and shortcomings of the medical marijuana program, nearly two years after it was enacted into law. The program was launched in January of this year.1
According to the Department of Health, the first six months of the Medical Marijuana Program were successful, as evidenced by over 5,000 patients and 600 physicians who have registered with the program. However, the report also recognizes the challenges created by the restrictive nature of the program, such as the difficulty for eligible patients to find registered physicians and obtain marijuana products, the reluctance of the medical community to participate and the need for increased access to marijuana.
