New York MMJ Bill Could Speed Up Industry Launch

A new bill heading to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s desk could possibly speed up the launch of the state’s medical marijuana industry by streamlining how soon prospective patients can get access to MMJ.

Though the bill has yet to be signed by Cuomo – and his office didn’t indicate whether or not he supports it – the timeline is also still in question. The bill simply “gives the state Department of Health the flexibility to modify requirements of the 2014 medicinal marijuana law and regulations to speed up the process,” according to a TV station report.

Cuomo has until Nov. 11 to sign or veto the measure, which was approved by the legislature in June. A month before the bill passed, Cuomo’s spokesman expressed doubt as to the viability of speeding up the process and said the governor is hesitant to back any new regulations that could wind up making the program even more complicated.

As things stand, the five MMJ business license winners in New York have until the end of January to make cannabis available to patients, a deadline that some of them are struggling to meet.