New York State Picks Medical-Marijuana Vendors

The company will also have dispensaries in Albany, Westchester and Queens counties.

There will be five growers and 20 dispensaries throughout New York’s 55,000 square miles.

The facility is expected to be ready by January 1. Grow centers are to be set up in the counties of Orange, Queens, Warren, Munroe and Fulton.

New York became the twenty-third U.S. state, along with the District of Columbia, to legalize medical marijuana in some form past year. With the law restricting an individual’s medical marijuana supplies to only one month’s worth, “that’s a long drive down to Syracuse from Watertown” to get prescription medication.

They include liquids and oils for vaporization; oromucosal or sublingual administration; or administration per tube as well as capsules to take orally.

The State Department of Health says we’re supposed to find out today which five applicants have been approved for a license. Certified patients may have up to two designated caregivers go to a dispensing facility on their behalf. The company plans dispensaries in Monroe County, as well as Manhattan and Suffolk and Clinton counties.

He was the political reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester and in 2007 joined Gannett’s Albany Bureau, covering state government for seven news organizations and USA Today.

“We thought we could bring professionalism [to the MMP], a seriousness to providing patients true medicine that is pure, consistent and science-based”, he said. This decision means compassionate care and better jobs for our community.

“We think it’s a large opportunity”, said Hillary Peckham, who, with her sister and mother, runs Etain, a marijuana business in Katonah in Westchester County.

Two different companies expressed interest in opening a dispensary in the Jefferson County town of LeRay. Columbia Care New York LLC is working with researchers from Mount Sinai Health System.

Applications from 43 bidders running to thousands of pages were received by the state Department of Health in early June. It is unclear at this time if the dispensary will offer foods or drink containing marijuana as can be purchased in some states.

While several bidders had close political connections to Cuomo, the winners announced Friday largely escaped press scrutiny, and did not appear to have deep connections to the governor.

State Health Department officials said the five companies awarded medical marijuana registrations passed a rigorous and comprehensive evaluation process.

Not everyone was pleased with all aspects of the outcome.

County Executive Steven Neuhaus is thrilled with the news.

“It’s definitely excessive”, Nison said. The state’s regulations will make this situation more like going to a pharmacy than a head shop.