Provisions of medical marijuana law

    A patient must receive a certification from a licensed physician registered with the state Department of Health. The patient will then be issued a registration card.
    Eligible conditions include cancer, HIV/AIDS, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathies, Huntington’s disease and others, as added by the state health commissioner. The commissioner must also determine within 18 months of enactment the eligibility of Alzheimer’s disease, muscular dystrophy, dystonia, post-traumatic stress disorder and rheumatoid arthritis.
    Medical marijuana may be administered in forms approved by the department, but may not be smoked. However, vaporizing devices, similar to refillable e-cigarettes, are permitted.
    Organizations seeking to manufacture or distribute medical marijuana will be registered by the Health Department. Five registered organizations will be allowed, each operating up to four dispensaries for a total of 20 statewide, unless the commissioner determines that more are needed to meet public health requirements.
    An excise tax of 7 percent of the dispensing price will be paid by registered organizations. Forty-five percent of the revenue will be divided between the county in which the product is manufactured and the county in which it is dispensed, while 5 percent will go to the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, and 5 percent to the Division of Criminal Justice Services. The remainder goes to the state treasury.
Source: State Legislature