What's happening
This bill adds autism to the list of conditions eligible for medical marijuana use in New York State.
Why it matters
Expands treatment options for autistic individuals. By including autism as a qualifying condition, the bill gives patients and caregivers new alternatives for managing symptoms, especially where conventional treatments may be limited or ineffective.
Could influence future research and medical guidelines. Official recognition of autism for medical cannabis use may encourage more clinical studies and data collection on its effects, benefits, and risks for this population.
Addresses caregiver and family concerns. Families who seek relief for autism-related symptoms (such as anxiety, aggression, or self-injury) may have a legal avenue to pursue medical marijuana under physician supervision, reducing the need for unregulated or out-of-state options.
May prompt broader policy discussions. The bill could set a precedent for reconsidering other neurological or developmental conditions as candidates for medical marijuana programs, potentially shifting how such therapies are regulated and perceived in New York and beyond.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Cover Autism for Medical Marijuana
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Recommit, enacting clause stricken
- 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.
Add Autism to Marijuana Coverage
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Thomas Abinanti
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3063
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 1, 2019
Introduced by Sen. ORTT -- 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 adding autism to the list of conditions covered for lawful medical use of marihuana
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subparagraph (i) of paragraph (a) of subdivision 7 of section 3360 of the public health law, as amended by chapter 273 of the laws of 2018, is amended to read as follows:
(i) having one of the following severe debilitating or life-threatening conditions: cancer, autism, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus or acquired immune deficiency syndrome, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathies, Huntington's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, pain that degrades health and functional capability where the use of medical marihuana is an alternative to opioid use, substance use disorder, or as added by the commissioner; and
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately, provided, however, that the amendments to section 3360 of the public health law made by section one of this act shall not affect the repeal of such section and shall be deemed repealed therewith.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05228-01-9
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 adding autism to the list of conditions covered for lawful medical use of marihuana
Purpose of bill
This bill adds autism to the list of conditions for which a doctor may authorize medical marijuana use.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill amends public health law section 3360 (7) (a)
(i), as added by chapter 273 of the laws of 2018 to add autism to the list of severe debilitating or life-threatening conditions.
Section 2 is the effective date.
Justification
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects approximately 1 in 68 children in the U.S. and can be extremely debilitating. Some of the symptoms exhib- ited by individuals with ASD are high energy levels, anxiety, aggression, panic disorder, tantrums, inability to focus, depression, seizures, self-injurious behavior and aggressive behavior.
In the 14 states that allow the use of medical marijuana for any condi- tion with a doctor's prescription, families and physicians have noted that the use of medical marihuana has significantly improved these symp- toms for their children and patients.
Only two medications have been approved in the. United States by the Food and Drug Administration to treat the symptoms of autism. Both are anti-psychotic drugs that are not always effective and carry serious side effects.
This bill will provide medical professionals treating individuals with ASD access to another treatment option, when appropriate. Allowing indi- viduals with ASD to be treated by their physicians with medical marihua- na could help to relieve the debilitating symptoms many of them exhibit and dramatically improve their lives.
Prior legislative history
2018: A9869 referred to Health
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
None
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately, provided, however, that the amendments to section 3360 of the public health law made by section one of this act shall not affect the repeal of such section and shall be deemed repealed therewith.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.