New York News

NY: Patient Turnout Light For Medical Marijuana

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published January 8, 2016 at 4:41 PM EST

New York State’s Medical Marijuana Program is off to a slow start. The state's Department of Health provided the number on Friday.

The program officially rolled out Thursday. To receive marijuana, patients with certain qualifying conditions must get a certification from a physician registered with the state's program. The patient must then apply for a state registry card.

The medication is available only in non-smokable form and can be obtained from a state-regulated dispensary.

Eight of 20 authorized dispensaries opened on Thursday. The others are expected to open by month's end.

71 patients have signed up, so far.

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Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

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