Newly revised legislation may pave the way for medical marijuana in New York, however, the law is arguably the most restrictive medical marijuana law to date. The bill, in its full form, available here, provides a detailed list of 20 ailments for which medical marijuana may be used. This is, of course, on top of the already stringent requirements laid forth by Gov. Cuomo regarding where dispensaries may be located.
When facing stern opposition to the bill, medical marijuana supporters "have revised the legislation to place tighter restrictions on how the drug can be used and who gets to use it." h/t NY Daily News
Over at The Awl, John Herrman makes clear the sad state of affairs:
The entire bill, as written now, seems to position medical marijuana less as an option than as a prescription of last resort—a little green panic button hidden behind a locked panel of swirly hand-blown glass. The section of the bill in which it justifies itself is borderline apologetic: "Although for many patients other drugs may be more effective than marihuana, the Institute of Medicine noted that 'there will likely always be a subpopulation of patients who do not respond well to other medications,' Medical marihuana must be available to those patients." To get to the Governor's desk, the stricter Senate bill would have to be reconciled with the looser Assembly version, and this is a case where caution will likely prevail.