New York State Will Allow Medical Grade Marijuana In their Hospitals

Medical marijuana will now be allowed to be used in hospitals in the state of New York. New policies have been created by hospitals within the state that will allow caregivers and licensed medical practitioners to use marijuana or cannabis sativa in treating pain associated with chronic and severe illnesses. This is in line with New York's medical marijuana program.

Many hospitals and medical institutes in marijuana legal states do not allow cannabis around their premises for various reasons, the federal prohibition was the most cited reason. According to Syracuse.com, hospitals in New York were already given the directive that they will be allowed to use medical marijuana on their premises under a regulation planned by the state's Health Department. It is expected to go into effect in February.

While New York has one of the most strict medical marijuana programs in the United States, it is still considered to be one of the largest states in the country that allow using of marijuana for medical purposes. This new policy seems to be a loosening of the leash, but a leash greatly welcomed for many. The state will still not allow the selling of smokeable medical marijuana. In addition, nurse practitioners should still have to clear patients who can be allowed to use marijuana in their treatment program.

New York State also recently announced its plans to include chronic pain as an eligible condition for medical marijuana. The health department issued a statement regarding its description of chronic pain as:

"Any severe debilitating pain that the practitioner determines degrades health and functional capability; where the patient has contraindications, has experienced intolerable side effects, or has experienced failure of one or more previously tried therapeutic options; and where there is documented evidence of such pain having lasted three months or more beyond onset, or the practitioner reasonably anticipates such pain to last three months or more beyond onset." 

The using of marijuana in the form of edibles, tinctures, and in vaporized form is in accordance with the law that aims to provide relief to patients with AIDS, cancer, epilepsy, and some forms of degenerative diseases.