ALBANY — As New York prepares to expand its medical marijuana program to include people who are prescribed opioids, advocates are urging the state to simultaneously increase the number of dispensing sites.
The expansion is a big deal to patient advocates, who have criticized the state's program as one of the most restrictive in the nation. While state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said Monday he is unsure how many more individuals would be made eligible for the program as a result of the change, it is sure to be many, as prescription opioids like hydrocodone, oxycodone and morphine remain the most common treatment for pain in America.
"This means anyone who is taking prescription opioids can now use medical marijuana under our program, and our goal is for them to eventually get to a point where they can hopefully come off the opioids altogether," he said.
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