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# New York Becomes 23rd State To Legalize Medical Marijuana

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bkGVLBGh.m3u8" -->
## Video: New York Becomes 23rd State To Legalize Medical Marijuana

[Watch (HLS stream): New York Becomes 23rd State To Legalize Medical Marijuana](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bkGVLBGh.m3u8) (2:07)

![New York Becomes 23rd State To Legalize Medical Marijuana](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/bkGVLBGh/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2014-07-08. New York is officially the 23rd state to legalize medical marijuana. But the law is one of the most restrictive in the country — it even strictly prohibits smoking the drug._


---

Jul 27, 2023 4:57 PM UTC

---

## More From This Series

[All Videos](https://time.com/video/)

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### Thailand's Legislature Has Approved Legalizing Medical Marijuana

[Pennsylvania Governor Signs Bill Legalizing Medical Marijuana](/video/plnT6UGp/)

### Pennsylvania Governor Signs Bill Legalizing Medical Marijuana

[Alaska Becomes Third State To Legalize Marijuana](/video/38Vqu56R/)

### Alaska Becomes Third State To Legalize Marijuana

---


## Transcript

New York is officially the 23rd state to legalize medical marijuana. Governor Andrew Cuomo made headlines across the country after signing the Compassionate Care Act at a news conference in New York City, Monday. There is no doubt that medical marijuana can help people and we are here to help people. And if there is a medical advancement, then we want to make sure that we're bringing it to New Yorkers. The Act allows doctors to prescribe medical marijuana to patients with serious ailments including Epilepsy, Parkinson's Disease, and AIDS. But the law is one of the most restrictive in the country.

It even strictly prohibits smoking the drug. Patients using medical marijuana will only be allowed to use it in non- smokeable forms, like pills, vapors, and oils. And how medical marijuana users ingest the drug isn't the only thing the new law restricts. WCBS reports the state will only certify up to five companies to grow and distribute the marijuana. Those five growers will be allowed to open up to four dispensaries each to sell the drug to certified patients. The new law's ban on smoking medical marijuana has drawn some criticism from several medical marijuana advocates. When the bill passed the state legislature, at the end of June, Think Progress pointed out that advocates claimed smoking raw cannabis is the best way to treat medical conditions.

And the cost of vaporizing the marijuana is much higher than just smoking it, and could potentially become a financial burden for low income patients as one advocate told the New York Daily News. But New York's Health Commissioner says smoking is too dangerous to condone even when it's for medical purposes. As the Wall Street Journal notes, marijuana has four times the tar of tobacco, and it has similar carcinogenic and respiratory risks. But no matter how it is administered, New Yorkers, who suffer from serious ailments, say they hope medical marijuana can help them. Ten year old Amanda Houser stood next to Governor Cuomo as he signed the bill into law.

She suffers from a severe form of epilepsy. We were prepared to live out of New York State if we needed to, in order to get Amanda this treatment. I hope it comes soon. Medical marijuana will reportedly be available for certified patients to purchase in about 18 months. Thanks for watching. I'm Elizabeth Hagedorn.

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