New York State's Medical Marijuana Challenges

As NY expands medical marijuana program, few doctors in Rochester area are able to prescribe

The state is expanding the list of qualifying illnesses for medical marijuana. This means more people may be interested in trying it. But, the public list of doctors willing to prescribe it locally isn't exactly long.

The state maintains a website that shows which practitioners are certified to prescribe medical marijuana. In Monroe County, there are eight on that site compared to Erie and Onondaga Counties, which both have more than 25 providers.

Matt Hellaby has been living with PTSD. "There are a lot of people suffering," he says.

He's been interested in medical marijuana for months. "Really, just to get off the other medicine, sometimes I might sleep the whole day and I'm just tired, I don't like the side effects."

He wasn't eligible until the state recently added PTSD to the list of qualifying conditions.



"I was waiting, I didn't think it would take that long," he tells us.

Hellaby's doctor isn't approved to prescribe it and when Matt went to the state's website, he wondered why there are only a few here in Monroe County that is. So, we took his question to the Medical Society.

"Physicians have to choose to be included in that list publicly in order for that to show up online," says Chris Bell, executive director of the Monroe County Medical Society.

Meaning, there are dozens of other providers approved here that choose to shield themselves from the public list.

Jennifer Lewke: "How come some providers don't want people to know that they're prescribing this?"
Bell: "It's a slow growth process in New York State, it's still not something that is legal from a federal government perspective so there can be some concerns around what is publicly available regarding what physicians are doing."

Bell's advice for everyone is to start with their own doctor. If he or she doesn't prescribe it, they can access the full list of providers that do and that list is growing daily.

"There are just over 1,300 prescribes in New York State, originally it was just physicians and that has been expanded to include nurse practitioners and physicians assistants," he adds.

Hellaby found a doctor and got an appointment. After a consultation, he was written a prescription for medical marijuana.

"I feel relieved just knowing there's another option, maybe I don't have to try it tomorrow but when I want to, I got the option," says Hellaby.

Keep in mind, medical marijuana is not covered by insurance. Also, if you're calling a doctor solely to try and see if you qualify, that office visit may not be covered either. So, ask your doctor or provider upfront about costs.

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New York State has over 1500 Doctors on the list that can prescribe medical marijuana. However, they only have 18 or so listed on their website. The question is why? The doctors have to request to be listed on the website but they don't want people to know that they are a service provider for Marijuana. Whether it's medical or not.

There is still a stigma attached to the topic. Even I have been very hesitant about making it known that I service the industry because of what friends and family may think and say about me (my personal decisions) and my business decisions.

This is my ad

In fact, it was only yesterday that anyone outside of my wife knew I was in the industry. Yesterday as I posted about this blog and the store I got some comments from friends but many have not seen the post yet. But I am really not caring what people think and I think it's the same with the doctors in NYS.

The doctors in NYS have to get to the point that they don't care what others think about what they do. It's a freeing way of thinking for sure.