New York State has authorized five more organizations to manufacture and dispense medical marijuana to improve patient access to dispensing facilities across the state.
The new dispensaries are Citiva Medical, Fiorello Pharmaceuticals, New York Canna (doing business as TerradiolNew York), PalliaTech NY and Valley Agriceuticals. Terradiol will manufacture in Onondaga County and have dispensing facilities in Erie, Orange, Queens and Suffolk Counties.
The five new dispensaries join five others - MedMen, formerly known as Bloomfield Industries; Columbia Care; Etain; PharmaCann; and Vireo Health of New York - which have been operating since the program's launch in January 2016 and have been re-registered for another two years.
"The New York State Department of Health is committed to growing the state's Medical Marijuana Program responsibly," said state Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker. "The addition of these registered organizations will make it easier for patients across the state to obtain medical marijuana, improve the affordability of medical marijuana products through the introduction of new competition and increase the variety of medical marijuana products available to patients."
The Health Department said Citiva Medical will manufacture in Orange County and have dispensing facilities in Dutchess, Chemung, Kings and Richmond counties.
Fiorello Pharmaceuticals will manufacture in Schenectady County and have dispensing facilities in Monroe, Saratoga, New York and Nassau counties.
PalliaTech NY will manufacture in Ulster County and have dispensing facilities in Nassau, Orange, Queens, and Clinton counties.
Valley Agriceuticals will manufacture in Orange County and have dispensing facilities in Kings, Oneida, Suffolk, and Dutchess counties.
Other recent enhancements to New York State's Medical Marijuana Program include adding chronic pain as a qualifying condition, permitting home delivery, empowering nurse practitioners and physician assistants to certify patients and publishing a list of registered practitioners who have consented to be listed publicly.
The Health Department said as of August 1, there are 25,736 certified patients and 1,139 registered practitioners participating in the program. The number of certified patients has increased by 10,744 (72 percent) since the addition of chronic pain in late March.
Integrating five additional registered organizations into the industry utilizing a phased-in approach was a recommendation of the Department's two-year report on the Medical Use of Marijuana Under the Compassionate Care Act.
