New York State has begun accepting applications for its nascent medical weed program, Forbes reports. Potential providers have until May 29th to apply with the Department of Health, and approvals are scheduled to be announced in July. The application fee is $10,000 and the registration fee will be $200,000. Potential distributors will have to demonstrate ability to create a product that meets DOH quality guidelines, have access to adequate real property and grow equipment, and demonstrate sufficient “moral character.” Approved distributors are slated to began operating on January 5, 2016.
Only 5 applicants will be approved to grow and sell, and they will be limited to 4 dispensaries each. Confusingly, no dispensary owner will be allowed to operate in neighboring counties or areas. So an applicant would have to open one dispensary in New York City, for example, and the other in Rochester, but not in Yonkers.
Each dispensary will be limited to 5 strains, and the DOH will set the price.
The medical side of this industry, such as what types of patients will be eligible to receive medical weed and what doctors will write the prescriptions, is still nebulous.
(Photo: Brett Levin)
