NY Marijuana Qualification

Updated on March 25, 2019.  Medical content reviewed by Dr. Joseph Rosado, MD, M.B.A, Chief Medical Officer

What Ailments Qualify For Medical Marijuana in New York

Patients in New York diagnosed with one of the following severe, debilitating, or life-threatening medical conditions, are afforded legal protection under New York’s medical marijuana law, as per Assembly Bill 6357:

• Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) (Positive Status)
• Amyotrophic  Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
• Cancer
• Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy
• Chronic Pain
• Crohn’s Disease
• Damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable Spasticity
• Epilepsy
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (Positive Status)
• Huntington’s Disease
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Neuropathies
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Ulcerative Colitis
• Any Condition An Opioid Could Be Prescribed or Opioid User Disorder

Patients also suffering from a severe debilitating or life-threatening condition or any of the following conditions where it is clinically associated with a complication of a condition under this paragraph or its treatment:

• Cachexia or Wasting Syndrome
• Severe Nausea
• Seizures
• Severe or persistent Muscle Spasms
• Severe or Chronic Pain
• or such conditions as added by the Commissioner

New York Medical Marijuana Program: Information

1. Patients must be at least eighteen (18) years of age. If the patient is under the age of eighteen (18) an Approved Caregiver must be designated and register on behalf of the patient.
2. Patients must be residents of New York State and provide proof by providing a copy of a New York State Driver’s License or State Issued identification Card with current address. Click here for additional information on required documentation.
3. Patient’s must be evaluated by a certified practitioner. Find a Certified Physician In NY Today!
4. Patients must be diagnosed with one or more of the Qualifying Conditions listed above.
5. Patients must create a My.NY.Gov Account. Please select Medical Marijuana Data Management System.
6. Patients must then submit their application through the NYS Patient Registry online.
   • The Application Fee is $50.00 for all patients and designated caregivers.
   • Patients can designate up to two (2) caregivers.
7. If the application is approved, the state will issue a temporary Registry Identification Card through their My.NY.gov account, with your state issued identification to purchase approved Medical Marijuana products. Medical Marijuana Identification Cards will be mailed to the address listed on the Application.

Recent Legislation Update

Effective March 22, 2017 Chronic Pain has been approved by Health Commissioner, Dr. Howard A. Zucker – any severe debilitating pain that the practitioner determines degrades health and functional capability, that has intolerable side effects, that has lasted for or is expected to last for at least three months, and other modes of therapy that has failed to treat or that cannot be treated by another therapy because it would be harmful.”

Effective March 22, 2017 Chronic Pain has been approved by Health Commissioner, Dr. Howard A. Zucker – any severe debilitating pain that the practitioner determines degrades health and functional capability, that has intolerable side effects, that has lasted for or is expected to last for at least three months, and other modes of therapy that has failed to treat or that cannot be treated by another therapy because it would be harmful.”

Effective June 2018, a regulatory amendment issued by the NY State Department of Health added Opioid use as a qualifying condition. In July 2018, this was expanded and any condition for which an Opioid could be prescribed now qualifies for medical marijuana due to emergency regulations issues by the NY State Department of Health.