What's happening
This bill requires the public disclosure of medical marijuana certifying practitioners' information on a state website, unless a practitioner opts out.
Why it matters
Improves transparency for patients. By making a searchable list of certified medical marijuana practitioners available online, patients can more easily find authorized providers, potentially speeding up access to care.
Protects practitioner privacy. The bill includes an opt-out provision, allowing practitioners to withhold their information from the public list if they have privacy concerns or safety reasons, balancing transparency with individual rights.
May influence practitioner participation. Some practitioners may be more willing to certify patients if their participation isn’t automatically public, while others may appreciate the visibility as it could bring new patients.
Could impact public trust and oversight. Publicly listing practitioners could increase accountability and trust in the medical marijuana program, as patients and regulators can see who is authorized to certify, possibly deterring fraudulent actors.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Publish Medical Marijuana Doctor List
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Signed chap.438
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading cal.399
- Substituted for A2882
- Referred to ways and means
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 62–1
- Ordered to third reading cal.2039
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Referred to health
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
List Medical Marijuana Doctors
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Crystal Peoples-Stokes
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5627
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
April 21, 2017
Introduced by Sen. SAVINO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to disclosure of the list of practitioners registered to certify patients for the use of medical marihuana
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 4 of section 3369 of the public health law, as added by chapter 90 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
4. (a) Certification applications, certification forms, any certified patient information contained within a database, and copies of registry identification cards shall be deemed exempt from public disclosure under sections eighty-seven and eighty-nine of the public officers law.
(b) The name, contact information, and other information relating to practitioners registered with the department under this title shall be public information and shall be maintained by the commissioner on the department's website accessible to the public in searchable form. However, if a practitioner notifies the department in writing that he or she does not want his or her name and other information disclosed, that practitioner's name and other information shall thereafter not be public information or maintained on the department's website, unless the practitioner cancels the request.
§ 2. This act shall take effect sixty days after it shall become a law; provided that effective immediately: (a) the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date; and (b) practitioners may make requests under paragraph (b) of subdivision 4 of section 3369 of the public health law, as added by section one of this act. Provided further, that the amendments to subdivision 4 of section 3369 of the
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05534-01-7
S. 5627 2
public health law made by section one of this act shall not affect the repeal of such section and shall be deemed repealed therewith.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to disclosure of the list of practitioners registered to certify patients for the use of medical marihuana
Purpose
To require that the name and other information relating to practitioners registered to certify patients for medical marihuana be publicly available.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1: Amends section 3369 of the Public Health Law by adding a new subdivision 4, paragraph (b), requiring that the name, contact information, and other information relating to practitioners registered with the department to certify patients for medical marihuana shall be public information; requires that this information be maintained on the department's website in searchable form; and allows practitioners to opt-out in writing if they do not wish their information to be public.
Section 2: Effective 60 days after it becomes a law.
Justification
Difficultly finding registered practitioners is a major obstacle for patients who could benefit from medical use of marihuana. There are some physicians in New York registered to certify patients for medical marihuana, but there is no publicly available list of them. As a result, severely ill patients are forced to cold-call doctor after doctor in hopes of finding one, or try to find information through social media or other potentially unreliable sources. This bill would make it clear that the public should have access to this information.
This bill would require the names and contact information of registered practitioners to be made available through a searchable database on the department's website. Practitioners who do not wish to be listed may opt-out by notifying the department in writing.
Prior legislative history
New bill in the Senate.
2016 - P-Assembly unanimously.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
Sixty days after it becomes a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.