New York State Department of Health Launches Medical Marijuana Practitioner Education Course

ALBANY, N.Y. (October 20, 2015) - The New York State Department of Health today announced the launch of the online education course for practitioners who wish to issue certifications to their patients to receive medical marijuana products. The launch of the course is a key step toward implementing New York State's Medical Marijuana Program in January 2016.

"Registering practitioners is the first and most critical aspect toward ensuring that medical marijuana is available for certified patients with serious conditions, and that it is dispensed and administered in a manner that ensures public health and safety," said Commissioner of Health Dr. Howard Zucker. "I have carefully reviewed the course materials with a team of experts from the Department of Health and I am confident that the course will provide practitioners with the information they need when considering the use of medical marijuana for patients who may benefit from it."

The four-hour, DOH-approved course includes information about the pharmacology of marijuana, contraindications, adverse reactions, drug interactions, dosing, routes of administration, risks and benefits, and abuse and dependence. The fee for the course is $249, and practitioners successfully completing the course will earn 4.5 hours of Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit.

Following successful completion of the course, practitioners who wish to certify qualified patients must register online with the DOH Medical Marijuana Program. Practitioners will be required to send a copy of their course completion certificate along with other required information to DOH for validation. Upon validation of the information provided, DOH will send an e-mail confirmation to the practitioner containing a link that will authorize the practitioner to register and begin issuing certifications to qualified patients.

For additional information about New York State's Medical Marijuana Program, visit: https://www.health.ny.gov/regulations/medical_marijuana/.