Amd §§3360, 3362, 3363, 3364, 3365 & 3367, Pub Health L
 
Relates to allowing for facility caregivers to possess medical marihuana in a similar manner to that of a designated caregiver; relates to medical marihuana research; relates to increasing registered organizations and dispensing sites.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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9113
IN SENATE
June 18, 2018
___________
Introduced by Sen. SAVINO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to allowing for
facility caregivers to possess medical marihuana in a similar manner
to that of a designated caregiver; and in relation to medical marihua-
na dispensing sites
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 12 of section 3360 of the public health law, as
2 added by chapter 90 of the laws of 2014, is amended and a new subdivi-
3 sion 19 is added to read as follows:
4 12. "Practitioner" means a practitioner who (i) is [a physician]
5 authorized by this article to prescribe a controlled substance, is
6 licensed [by New York state and practicing within the state] or other-
7 wise authorized to practice under title eight of the education law, and
8 is acting within his or her lawful scope of practice, (ii) [who] by
9 training or experience is qualified to treat a serious condition as
10 defined in subdivision seven of this section; and (iii) has completed a
11 two to four hour course as determined by the commissioner in regulation
12 and registered with the department; provided however, a registration
13 shall not be denied without cause. Such course may count toward board
14 certification requirements. [The commissioner shall consider the inclu-
15 sion of nurse practitioners under this title based upon considerations
16 including access and availability. After such consideration the commis-
17 sioner is authorized to deem nurse practitioners as practitioners under
18 this title.]
19 19. "Medical marihuana research program" means a medical marihuana
20 research program under subdivision three of section thirty-three hundred
21 sixty-seven of this title.
22 § 2. Subdivision 5 of section 3360 of the public health law, as added
23 by chapter 90 of the laws of 2014, is amended and two new subdivisions
24 20 and 21 are added to read as follows:
25 5. "Designated caregiver" means the individual or facility caregiver
26 designated by a certified patient in a registry application. A certified
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD16353-02-8
S. 9113 2
1 patient may designate up to two designated caregivers, not counting a
2 facility caregiver or facility caregiver employee.
3 20. "Facility caregiver" means any of the following that is caring for
4 the certified patient:
5 (a) a general hospital or residential health care facility operating
6 pursuant to article twenty-eight of this chapter;
7 (b) an adult care facility operating pursuant to title two of article
8 seven of the social services law;
9 (c) a community mental health residence established pursuant to
10 section 41.44 of the mental hygiene law;
11 (d) a hospital operating pursuant to section 7.17 of the mental
12 hygiene law;
13 (e) a mental hygiene facility operating pursuant to article thirty-one
14 of the mental hygiene law;
15 (f) an inpatient or residential treatment program certified pursuant
16 to article thirty-two of the mental hygiene law;
17 (g) a residential facility for the care and treatment of persons with
18 developmental disabilities operating pursuant to article sixteen of the
19 mental hygiene law;
20 (h) a residential treatment facility for children and youth operating
21 pursuant to article thirty-one of the mental hygiene law;
22 (i) a private or public primary or secondary school charted by the New
23 York state board of regents pursuant to section two hundred sixteen of
24 the education law;
25 (j) an entity conducting or participating in a medical marihuana
26 research program under subdivision three of section thirty-three hundred
27 sixty-seven of this title, with respect to a certified patient enrolled
28 in the program;
29 (k) any other facility deemed appropriate by the commissioner; or
30 (l) a facility caregiver employee.
31 21. "Facility caregiver employee" means an employee of a facility
32 caregiver who performs the services of a designated caregiver for the
33 facility caregiver.
34 § 3. Subdivision 2 of section 3362 of the public health law, as added
35 by chapter 90 of the laws of 2014, is amended and a new subdivision 3 is
36 added to read as follows:
37 2. Notwithstanding subdivision one of this section:
38 (a) possession of medical marihuana shall not be lawful under this
39 title if it is smoked, consumed, vaporized, or grown in a public place,
40 regardless of the form of medical marihuana stated in the patient's
41 certification.
42 (b) a [person] certified patient or designated caregiver possessing
43 medical marihuana under this title shall possess his or her registry
44 identification card at all times when in immediate possession of medical
45 marihuana.
46 3. The possession, acquisition, transportation, storage, or adminis-
47 tration of medical marihuana by a facility caregiver, shall be lawful
48 under this title; provided that:
49 (a) the facility caregiver first registers with the department, on a
50 form prescribed by the commissioner;
51 (b) such possession, acquisition, transportation, storage, or adminis-
52 tration is on behalf of a certified patient;
53 (c) the facility caregiver maintains a copy of the registry identifi-
54 cation card of each certified patient for which it possesses, acquires,
55 transports, stores or administers medical marihuana; and
S. 9113 3
1 (d) a facility caregiver employee shall be identified as an employee
2 when necessary, as provided by the commissioner.
3 § 4. Subdivisions 2, 3 and 5 of section 3363 of the public health law,
4 as added by chapter 90 of the laws of 2014, are amended to read as
5 follows:
6 2. To obtain, amend or renew a registry identification card, a certi-
7 fied patient or designated caregiver shall file a registry application
8 with the department. The registry application or renewal application
9 shall include:
10 (a) in the case of a certified patient:
11 (i) the patient's certification (a new written certification shall be
12 provided with a renewal application);
13 (ii) the name, address, and date of birth of the patient;
14 (iii) the date of the certification;
15 (iv) if the patient has a registry identification card based on a
16 current valid certification, the registry identification number and
17 expiration date of that registry identification card;
18 (v) the specified date until which the patient would benefit from
19 medical marihuana, if the certification states such a date;
20 (vi) the name, address, federal registration number, and telephone
21 number of the certifying practitioner;
22 (vii) any recommendation or limitation by the practitioner as to the
23 form or forms of medical marihuana or dosage for the certified patient;
24 and
25 (viii) other individual identifying information required by the
26 department;
27 (b) in the case of a certified patient, if the patient designates a
28 designated caregiver, the name, address, and date of birth of the desig-
29 nated caregiver, and other individual identifying information required
30 by the department;
31 (c) in the case of a designated caregiver:
32 (i) the name, address, and date of birth of the designated caregiver;
33 (ii) if the designated caregiver has a registry identification card,
34 the registry identification number and expiration date of that registry
35 identification card; and
36 (iii) other individual identifying information required by the depart-
37 ment;
38 (d) in the case of a facility caregiver, the facility shall make an
39 application under paragraph (c) of this subdivision for the facility;
40 the commissioner shall appropriately modify the requirements for infor-
41 mation to be provided in the application of a facility caregiver; and
42 designation of facility caregiver employees shall not be required;
43 (e) a statement that a false statement made in the application is
44 punishable under section 210.45 of the penal law;
45 [(e)] (f) the date of the application and the signature of the certi-
46 fied patient or designated caregiver, as the case may be;
47 [(f)] (g) a fifty dollar application fee, provided, that the depart-
48 ment may waive or reduce the fee in cases of financial hardship; and
49 [(g)] (h) any other requirements determined by the commissioner.
50 3. Where a certified patient is under the age of eighteen:
51 (a) The application for a registry identification card shall be made
52 by an appropriate person over twenty-one years of age. The application
53 shall state facts demonstrating that the person is appropriate.
54 (b) The designated caregiver shall be (i) a parent or legal guardian
55 of the certified patient, (ii) a person designated by a parent or legal
56 guardian, [or] (iii) in the case of such a certified patient being cared
S. 9113 4
1 for by a facility caregiver, the facility caregiver designated by the
2 parent or legal guardian of the certified patient, or (iv) an appropri-
3 ate person approved by the department upon a sufficient showing that no
4 parent or legal guardian is appropriate or available.
5 5. No person may be a designated caregiver for more than five certi-
6 fied patients at one time; provided that this limitation shall not apply
7 to a facility caregiver or facility caregiver employee.
8 § 5. Subdivision 3 of section 3364 of the public health law, as added
9 by chapter 90 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
10 3. Each registered organization shall contract with an independent
11 laboratory to test the medical marihuana produced by the registered
12 organization. The commissioner shall approve the laboratory and require
13 that the laboratory report testing results in a manner determined by the
14 commissioner. The commissioner is authorized to issue regulation requir-
15 ing the laboratory to perform certain tests and services. Such laborato-
16 ry shall not be required to be licensed by the federal drug enforcement
17 administration.
18 § 6. Subdivision 9 of section 3365 of the public health law, as added
19 by chapter 90 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
20 9. The commissioner shall register [no more than five] ten registered
21 organizations that manufacture medical marihuana with no more than
22 [four] fourteen dispensing sites wholly owned and operated by each such
23 registered organization. The commissioner shall ensure that such [regis-
24 tered organizations and] dispensing sites are geographically distributed
25 across the state. [The commission may register additional registered
26 organizations] Each registered organization, given that no dispensing
27 site shall be located within two thousand five hundred feet of another
28 dispensing site, shall be allowed to operate:
29 (a) no more than six dispensing sites in total in the counties of New
30 York, Kings, Queens, Bronx, and Richmond;
31 (b) no more than four dispensing sites in total in the counties of
32 Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester; and
33 (c) no more than four dispensing sites in total in the counties other
34 than the counties of New York, Kings, Queens, Bronx, Richmond, Nassau,
35 Suffolk, and Westchester.
36 § 7. Subdivision 3 of section 3367 of the public health law is renum-
37 bered subdivision 4 and a new subdivision 3 is added to read as follows:
38 3. The commissioner may make regulations authorizing the possession,
39 acquisition, use, delivery, transfer, transportation, storage, or admin-
40 istration of medical marihuana for research purposes.
41 § 8. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
42 the amendments to title 5-A of article 33 of the public health law made
43 by sections one, two, three, four, five, six and seven of this act shall
44 not affect the repeal of such title and shall be deemed repealed there-
45 with; and provided further, however, that sections two, three and four
46 of this act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
47 become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
48 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of
49 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
50 on or before such effective date.