Get Your New York Medical Marijuana Card Online for $149

Gov. Cuomo signed AB 7060 (amendment to the Compassionate Care Act) in November 2015 which allowed cannabis use to patients with severely debilitating medical conditions. The full opening of the registered organization took place in 2016 and the first medical cannabis dispensary was opened in January 2016.

The same year, the DOH started adding qualified conditions with chronic pain making it to the state list. The DOH also updated the regulations and allowed certified nurse practitioners to provide recommendations for cannabis cards to qualifying patients. Besides this, registered and licensed organisations were also allowed to sell wholesale cannabis products to different organizations to prevent a decrease in overall supply.

While these changes took place in 2016, the year 2017 brought about significant changes. For example, the DOH began to allow the sale of different forms of cannabis products. These products were also allowed to be legally consumed and possessed by marijuana patients with valid MMJ cards in NY.

Although these laws are not as lax as the laws in California or Colorado, the laws protect patients from speaking legally to a dispensary representative. Similarly, the caregivers can also directly speak to the doctors and dispensary owners on behalf of the patient to receive a cannabis card.

Qualifying Conditions for a Medical Marijuana Card in NY

The NY Medical Marijuana Program has become more inclusive with their list of qualifying medical conditions. As of 2022, the state officially allows medical use of cannabis for all medical conditions provided the patient is qualified by a licensed physician of the state. Some of these qualifying medical conditions are as follows-

• Parkinson’s Disease
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
• Neuropathy
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Damage to the Spinal Cord with objective neurological signs of intractable spasticity
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• HIV/AIDS
• Cachexia or the Wasting Syndrome
• Cancer
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Severe Nausea
• Epilepsy
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Huntington’s Disease
• Ulcerative Colitis
• Chronic Pain or Any Condition For Which An Opioid Might be Prescribed

However, this is not all. To actually qualify for an MMJ Card you also need to prove that you have another additional complicating condition that is further lowering your quality of life and making your recovery a traumatic experience.

How to Become a Cannabis Card Patient in New York?

New York approved cannabis back in 2014 which was a progressive move. There are a few requirements that one needs to fulfil to be able to get an evaluation from a medical marijuana doctors for a cannabis card.

• All patients need to be at least eighteen when they apply. If they are under the age of 18 then an approved caregiver needs to designate and get a weed card on behalf of the patient.
• Everyone who applies to the medical marijuana program needs to be a resident of the state of New York, They have to furnish proof by submitting a copy of the New York State Driver’s Licence or State Issued Identification Card which states their current address.
• You need to get an evaluation by a certified medical marijuana doctor.
• You need to have a diagnosis of one or more of the medical conditions as listed above.
• Once you have a recommendation for a marijuana card with you by a marijuana doctor, you then need to make an account on My.NY.Gov. Here you will select the MMDMS.
• The next step is to submit the applications through the NYS registry online
  • Every patient is allowed to designate 2 caregivers
• Once the application is approved, the state will issue a temporary registry identification card via your My.NY.gov account, this will help you purchase the recommended approved medical marijuana products. Your actual MMJ card will be mailed to the address stated on the application.
• As of 2022, the state has permanently waived the state fee of $50.

How to Become a Registered Patient Caregiver in New York?

As a registered patient in the state of NY, you are allowed to designate one or two caregivers as per your convenience. The job of a caregiver is to help you purchase and help you administer your recommended marijuana.

A designated caregiver needs to be over the age of 21 and needs to be a resident of the state of New York. Another caveat to take care of is that a patient’s primary physician cannot be a caregiver.

So, how does one become a designated caregiver in NY?

• The first step to get certified is to get designated by the patient within the System and then you can get registered with the department as a designated caregiver.
• As the caregiver, you must log to my.ny.gov and then click on the “Health Applications” icon after which you need to click the “Medical Marijuana Data Management System” link and then register.
• If you do not have a personal NY.gov ID then you need to create that first. Make sure that you create that ID as a caregiver within the  System.
• Once the registration is approved, you will be issued a temporary registry identification card which can be used in conjecture with Government-issued photo identification to help purchase your recommended marijuana products.
• Caregiver registration also expires as the certification given by the marijuana doctor does. Every time that happens both the patient and the designated caregiver need to re-register.

How to Apply for Renewal of a NY Registry ID ?

Every year you will be required to renew your registry ID, just before you are due for renewal you will receive a notification. The advice is to begin the renewal process a little before your certification expires as renewal can take a while. Plus without a valid registry, you cannot buy marijuana.

The usual time is that of a year, but at times a certification is for a shorter time, so ensure you diligently check when your NY cannabis card is due to expire. In case you have a caregiver, they will not be able to re-certify as a caregiver until you are through. So, pay attention to the date. Try and aim for three weeks prior as that is the standard time for approval.

In New York, marijuana is legalized for anyone 21 and older. The public can possess up to three ounces of cannabis and 24 grams of concentrates, while registered patients are allowed a 60-day supply at any time. As of March 31, 2021, it’s legal for people 21 years of age or older to possess, purchase up to three ounces of cannabis and up to twenty-four grams of concentrated cannabis.

Under New York’s marijuana laws, both medical and recreational users of cannabis are permitted to store up to five pounds of harvested cannabis at their private residence. However, this will only be the case for recreational users once the OCM has issued its home cultivation regulations. No person or entity shall sell medical cannabis plants or seeds for home cultivation unless it has complied with the Cannabis Law.

Cultivation

Medical Cannabis users in New York can legally cultivate 6 mature and 6 vegging marijuana plants and have up to 5 pounds of dried flower. Caregivers can grow more depending on the amount of caregivers under them. We linked to the official New york PDF for futher details.