Navigating New York's Medical Marijuana Program: A Patient Handout
Since the approval of medical cannabis in New York state in 2014, there has been an increasing amount of interest in its clinical use. The role of medical cannabis has been particularly expanding in the pain specialty, where physicians have been seeking more non-opioid based treatments for chronic pain.
(Editor's Note: See our Side Chat with Dr. Mark Wallace on this subject).
Navigating the state’s medical marijuana program has its challenges due to its:
- relative novelty
- multistep registration process
- reliance on patient understanding and participation in the process.
We identified these challenges in our outpatient pain center and developed an educational handout (available in English and Spanish below) to help guide patients through the New York medical marijuana program. Our objectives were to create an easy-to-read, comprehensive handout that would increase patient education, improve clinic efficiency, and strengthen patient confidence in their treatment plan.
The one-page, single-sided document includes the approved conditions for medical cannabis, available formulations, approximate cost, what to do if medication titration is needed, and a link to local dispensaries. The handout addresses the most common questions that we as providers face when discussing medical cannabis with patients.
Download a PDF (English)
Download a PDF (Spanish)
We distributed this document to patients in our own practice who were candidates for medical cannabis, with a brief explanation of what was included on it. The handout thus far has successfully provided an organized, efficient way to convey information about the program and has been well received.
As the literature behind medical cannabis grows and medical cannabis becomes more accessible, we believe that documents like ours will be extremely valuable. Although this handout is specific for New York, it can easily be modified to represent the needs of patients and providers in other states.
See also, a short-term study on the effect of cannabis by Dr. Ko et al.
