It has been two years since New York's Compassionate Care Act made medical marijuana legal for treating certain conditions.
Now, State Senator George Amedore is pushing for legislation that would allow medical marijuana to be used as an alternative to opioids.
Amedore says the state has kept medical marijuana under extensive scrutiny, and that the health department in the State of New York, the regulatory arms of the State of New York, and even the legislature, has watched this slowly develop into becoming an alternative for public health.
Under current law, medical marijuana can only be used to help manage chronic pain.
This bill would allow medical marijuana to be used to treat pain for conditions that are expected to last less than three months.
Amedore says offering medical marijuana is safe, and adds that officials are seeing great results, saying users do not get addicted to medical marijuana, or cannabis oil, which is prescribed for episodic pain.
Amedore says the bill has bi-partisan support.
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