Overview
The Medical Cannabis Program in New York State ensures that medical cannabis is available for certified patients with medical conditions in a manner that protects patient health and safety. Participating healthcare providers are crucial to the success of the program.
New York State medical cannabis providers must meet and comply with all laws, regulations, and guidance related to the adult-use cultivator license. Failure to comply with any current or future laws, rules, or regulations issued by the Cannabis Control Board may result in disciplinary action, including, but not limited to revocation of the certification.
Some common conditions patients use medical cannabis to find relief from include but are not limited to:
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Start Certifying Patients
To issue certifications for patients to receive medical cannabis, healthcare providers must:
- Have the appropriate practitioner license and a DEA registration to lawfully prescribe controlled substances to humans within New York State. This can include but is not limited to physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dentists, podiatrists, and midwives.
- Complete at least a two-hour course before they can begin certifying patients for medical cannabis.
To certify qualifying patients for medical cannabis, practitioners must use the Medical Cannabis Data Management System (MCDMS), located within the Health Commerce System (HCS). It’s the Law: Practitioners must consult the PMP Registry to check a patient’s controlled substance history before issuing or editing a patient’s certification.
NOTE: If your patient is under the age of 18 or incapable of providing consent for medical treatment, at the time of patient registration, this patient will require the following someone over 21 years old, to be designated as the patient’s caregiver. This caregiver will be auto-registered at the time of certification and receive a registry ID document in addition to the patient certification.
Medical Cannabis Education
A minimum of a 2-hour approved course must be completed by providers who aspire to certify patients for medical cannabis.
Courses include the following content: the pharmacology of cannabis; contraindications; side effects; adverse reactions; overdose prevention; drug interactions; dosing; routes of administration; risks and benefits; warnings and precautions; and abuse and dependence.
The courses are offered online, which will provide health care providers the ability to complete the course at their convenience.
Course Provider | Course Duration | Fulfills requirement | Fulfills requirement | Cost | CME credits offered |
| TheAnswerPage.com | 3 hours | Yes | Yes | $165 | Yes - AMA, PRA Category 1 Credits™, ACPE, AANP, ANCC, APA, and AGD |
| The Medical Cannabis Institute | 4 hours | Yes | Yes | $179 | Yes |
| Medical Marijuana 411 | 4 hours | Yes | Yes | $179 | No |
| Medical Cannabis Mentor | 4 hours | Yes | Yes | $150 | No |
| Universal Education Services | 4 hours | Yes | Yes | $145 | No |
Medical Cannabis Research
Interested in reading more research on medical cannabis?
Research is critical to our understanding of cannabis and contributes to advancements in science, agriculture, medicine, and society. In 1944, the New York Academy of Medicine issued an extensively researched report declaring that, contrary to stigma and bias, use of cannabis did not induce violence, insanity or sex crimes, or lead to addiction or other drug use.
Since then, researchers have been limited in their ability to conduct cannabis related studies, but New York State has the opportunity to uncover the full potential of medical cannabis. With the framework set forth in the Cannabis Law, the creation of a Cannabis Research License, and the development of rules and regulations, the Office of Cannabis Management (Office) is encouraging studies into the chemical composition, agricultural production, consumer use, and potential therapeutic benefits of cannabis.
Fostering research collaborations between scientists, agronomists, engineers and practitioners will lead to robust new innovations. There is an opportunity for New York State to lead the nation in cannabis science and research, as the Office continues to build a comprehensive regulated cannabis market.
Accessing the MCDMS
Accessing the Medical Cannabis Data Management System (MCDMS)
First Time Users:
- Log into the Health Commerce System (HCS).
- From My Content (top banner menu) → All Applications → “M” → Medical Cannabis Data Management System.
- Click on the green plus sign. This will add the MCDMS application to your personal “My Applications” menu.
- Click on the Medical Cannabis Data Management System link.
- Follow the prompts to access the system.
Returning Users:
- Log into the HCS.
- From My Applications (left hand side menu), select Medical Cannabis DMS.
Any questions regarding healthcare provider access to MCMDS should be emailed to [email protected].
Insurance Coverage
Will insurance cover medical cannabis evaluations?
Practitioner office visits related to patient evaluation and certification for medical cannabis may be covered by insurance. Department of Financial Services has clarified that insurers cannot deny coverage for an office visit that results in a medical cannabis certification as long as the medical cannabis certification was not the sole purpose for the visit. Additionally, office visits related to patient evaluation and certification for medical cannabis are Medicaid reimbursable services.
Medical cannabis products are not a covered benefit under New York State Medicaid, but registered organizations may provide discounted products or reduced prices for certified patients. Check with the registered organization to find out more information regarding any financial assistance programs they may offer to patients. The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) issued guidance to health insurers regarding coverage for office visits related to medical cannabis.
Get Involved
Incident Reporting
Practitioners must report patient adverse events related to medical cannabis to the Office within five business days of becoming aware of the adverse event. Serious adverse events related to medical cannabis must be reported by the practitioner to the Office of Cannabis Management within one business day after the practitioner becomes aware of the event. The link below contains instructions for reporting adverse events.
Resources