NY to mandate MJ cover
New York legislators have passed a bill that would mandate public health insurance providers in the state to cover medical marijuana as a prescription drug and allow private insurers to do the same if they wish.
The Assembly Health Committee approved the legislation, spearheaded by Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes (D), in an 18-7 vote on Tuesday. The bill will now move to the Ways & Means Committee before potentially progressing to the floor.
This legislation would revise state law to categorize cannabis as a “prescription drug,” “covered drug,” or “health care service” for insurance purposes. Public insurance entities would be required to cover medical marijuana, regardless of any federal financial involvement in their services.
State Medicaid, Child Health Plus, workers’ compensation, and EPIC programs would need to treat cannabis obtained from certified dispensaries in the same way as other conventional pharmaceuticals in terms of coverage.
While private health insurers would not be obligated to cover medical marijuana, the bill makes it clear that they may do so if they decide to.
Additionally, the bill text states that the commissioner of the state Department of Health would be authorized to “certify a dispensing site… as a medical assistance provider, exclusively for the purpose of dispensing medical marijuana.”
A corresponding Senate bill from Sen. Jeremy Cooney (D) has been directed to the Health Committee of that chamber, although no action has been scheduled yet.
Previously, the Senate approved an earlier iteration of the legislation, but it failed to progress through the Assembly before the session concluded. In a prior session, a comparable proposal was introduced in the Assembly, but it did not advance beyond the committee stage.
There are now 66 marijuana dispensaries licensed in the state, two of them are in Manhattan.
Where is marijuana legal in the US?
State
Legal Status
Medicinal
Decriminalized
Alabama
Mixed
Yes
No
Alaska
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
Arizona
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
Arkansas
Mixed
Yes
No
California
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
Colorado
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
Connecticut
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
Delaware
Mixed
Yes
Yes
District of Columbia
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
Florida
Mixed
Yes
No
Georgia
Mixed
CBD Oil Only
No
Hawaii
Mixed
Yes
Yes
Idaho
Fully Illegal
No
No
Illinois
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
Indiana
Mixed
CBD Oil Only
No
Iowa
Mixed
CBD Oil Only
No
Kansas
Fully Illegal
No
No
Kentucky
Mixed
CBD Oil Only
No
Louisiana
Mixed
Yes
Yes
Maine
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
Maryland
Mixed
Yes
Yes
Massachusetts
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
Michigan
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
Minnesota
Mixed
Yes
Yes
Mississippi
Mixed
Yes
Yes
Missouri
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
Montana
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
Nebraska
Fully Illegal
No
Yes
Nevada
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
New Hampshire
Mixed
Yes
Yes
New Jersey
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
New Mexico
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
New York
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
North Carolina
Fully Illegal
No
Yes
North Dakota
Mixed
Yes
Yes
Ohio
Mixed
Yes
Yes
Oklahoma
Mixed
Yes
No
Oregon
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
Pennsylvania
Mixed
Yes
No
Rhode Island
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
South Carolina
Fully Illegal
No
No
South Dakota
Mixed
Yes
No
Tennessee
Mixed
CBD Oil Only
No
Texas
Mixed
CBD Oil Only
No
Utah
Mixed
Yes
No
Vermont
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
Virginia
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
Washington
Fully Legal
Yes
Yes
West Virginia
Mixed
Yes
No
Wisconsin
Mixed
CBD Oil Only
No
Wyoming
Fully Illegal
No
No
