New York State becomes the nation's 23rd state to have finally legalized marijuana for medical purposes. However, there is another additional restrictive program which may be controversial for many medical patients living in the state.
According to The New York Post, under the legislation signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo on Saturday, one out of 10 patients with a disease would be able to obtain a non-smokeable versions of the plant. However, the right to grow this plant for any other industrial or health purposes still remains illegal.
The law would require medical cannabis to be ingested or vaporized. The details of the plant's administration would be limited and administered by the state health department. The plant would be primarily prescribed to patients with AIDS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, certain spinal cord injuries, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathies and Huntington’s disease.
The Washington Post reports that the use of cannabis as a medicine is highly uncontroversial at the bedside of a cancer patient or a child suffering from convulsions who requires immediate medical attention. Now that there is increased public acceptance toward the miraculous and fascinating medical aspects of this plant, majority of state legislatures are changing federal prohibition as well as prompting the FDA to allow use of cannabis a medicine.
The Compassionate Care Act will be rolled out in the next 18 months and the NY health-care system will benefit and eventually advance the science and clinical applications of cannabinoid medicine.
Good news is that smokeless cannabis in the form of a controlled dose will immediately ease human suffering and pain, and eventually move medical cannabis from the underground economy to the mainstream economy to benefit humankind.