Anyone who has done the slightest bit of research on the medicinal benefits of cannabis understands that it has vast potential to help patients who are suffering from a variety of disorders. Unfortunately, age-old drug prohibition laws prevent far too many patients from accessing the plant medicine. Perhaps the most notable of places where cannabis medicine would be beneficial is in hospitals, where human suffering is far too commonplace.
Many medical professionals and doctors would agree that patients should be given the option to treat their ailments with cannabis medicine. Unfortunately, most hospitals in legal states don’t allow cannabis anywhere on the premises, mostly due to federal prohibition. New York State hospitals are beginning to help push back against the harmful effects of prohibition.
According to Syracuse.com, the state will soon let patients use medical cannabis in hospitals. Under a regulation proposed by the state Health Department, hospitals will finally be allowed to implement policies that allow patients use medical cannabis tinctures, or have their caregivers administer it. The regulation should go into effect in February as part of an effort by the state to allegedly expand New York’s medical program. Smoking medical cannabis will not be permitted, however, as the medical sale of smokeable flowers is still prohibited.
The policy directive comes as a bit of a surprise to cannabis activists and advocates, as the state of New York has one of the strictest medical programs in the nation. Baby steps are better than no steps at all, so the surprise is a welcomed one.
If successful, this policy directive could set a standard for other medical states to follow. Using medical cannabis is a huge risk for patients that don’t have access to it, even in legal states. As we finally peel back the layers of the failed and antiquated war on drugs, we should begin to see more polices like this one.
What are your thoughts on this policy directive? Will it be a successful one, or will it fail? Will more states allow the usage of medical cannabis in hospitals? Let us know in the comments section and let’s keep this important conversation going.
This article is for discussion and entertainment purposes only. The Marijuana Times does not provide medical or legal advice.
Thanks for the update Jason Sander. You incorrectly state in the article that “edibles” are legal in New York state’s Compassionate Care Act medical program. Edible products should be legal but they are not. Two key state lawmakers, Assemblyman Richard Gottfried (the medical cannabis hero of NY) and Senator Diane Savino (a cunning politician), are working to restore related language in the original 2014 law that was cut by the arrogant demands of NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo. It is legal for NY patients to buy and vaporize processed oils extracted from cannabis flowers, but that’s it. Cuomo and his utterly dispassionate Health Commissioner, Dr. Howard Zucker, have been the chief obstructionists for 3 years because they HATE cannabis smokers—they have forced these ‘no smoking’ and ‘no edibles’ rules down the throats of 20 million New Yorkers, while encouraging officials in other states to do the same thing. That’s why the 5 ‘legal’ medical cannabis companies in NY are struggling for economic survival. New York, regardless of the self-congratulatory rhetoric from Cuomo and Zucker, makes a very disturbing case study of government mandates that obstruct the development of vibrant markets and crush the hopes of sick people who want to try medical cannabis.
Thanks for the comment, Lance Goodwin. You incorrectly read the article and assumed that it was stated that edibles are now legal and then went off on a tangent. Perhaps you should work on your reading comprehension and stick to the actual topic at hand.