BILL NUMBER: S6972

SPONSOR: HARCKHAM
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the cannabis law and the public health law, in relation
to the course required to be taken by practitioners certifying patients
as eligible for medical cannabis and establishing the endocannabinoid
system awareness program

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

The purpose of this bill is to ensure practitioners who are certifying
patients for medical cannabis receive comprehensive education about the
endocannabinoid system and to make comprehensive information about the
endocannabinoid system available to all health care practitioners.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one amends subdivision 10 of section 30 of the cannabis law
adding a sentence to specify that the course required to certify a
patient for medical cannabis shall meet the requirements of paragraph
              

(c)of this subdivision. New paragraph (b) states that the office (of
cannabis management) shall approve at least one, if not more, course for
practitioners seeking to certify patients for medical cannabis, which
shall be a minimum of two hours in duration. New paragraph (c) states
that the educational content of the course shall include the pharmacolo-
gy of cannabis; contraindications; side effects; adverse reactions;
overdose prevention; drug interactions; dosing; routes of adminis-
tration; risks and benefits; warnings and precautions; abuse and depend-
ence and such other components as determined by the office.  New subdi-
vision 11 states that the office shall provide information on the
office's website on the endocannabinoid system awareness program estab-
lished pursuant to section 3360-a of the public health law, including
the information and guidance established pursuant to subdivision two of
such section.

Section two of the bill amends subdivision 12 of section 3360 of the
public health law to remove "determined by the commissioner in regu-
lation" and replace it with "required pursuant to section 3361 of this
title and section thirty of the cannabis law."

Section three of the bill amends paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of
section 3361 of the public health law to add "and has completed the
two-hour course required pursuant to subdivision ten of section thirty
of the cannabis law."

Section four of the bill amends the public health law by adding a new
section 3360-a establishing an endocannabinoid system awareness program
within the department of health which shall educate health care practi-
tioners regarding the endocannabinoid system and how it interacts with
other bodily systems. Paragraph 2 directs the commissioner, in consulta-
tion with the office of cannabis management to establish and distribute
to health care practitioners comprehensive information and guidance
regarding the endocannabinoid system and how it interacts with other
bodily systems and states that such information shall include but not be
limited to the following topics: the endocannabinoid system; cannabi-
noids, chronic pain and opioids, pharmacogenetics and cannabis, federal
food and drug administration (FDA) approved cannabinoid medications,
risks, benefits and impacts of cannabis consumption on pathways and
interactions of cannabis with other medications. Paragraph 3 states that
the department shall inform health care practitioners of the need to be
aware of the endocannabinoid system and how it interacts with other
bodily functions and provide information on the department's website on
the endocannabinoid system awareness program, including the information
and guidance established pursuant to subdivision two of this section.

Section five is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

New York State's action to legalize adult recreational use of cannabis
is a significant public policy development that benefits the state from
an economic development and revenue standpoint, benefits individuals who
had suffered disproportionate criminal justice impacts when the drug was
illegal by supporting them in the legal cannabis business and last, but
not least, benefits the many New Yorkers who can choose to enjoy regu-
lated cannabis in its various forms without legal consequence.

Acknowledging these positive developments around legal adult recreation-
al use of cannabis should not obscure the goal of ensuring health care
practitioners who choose to certify one of their patients for medical
cannabis are adequately informed about the impacts of cannabis on the
endocannabinoid system.

Currently, practitioners are required to take at least a two-hour course
and the topics of that course are set forth in regulation.  This legis-
lation codifies the requirement for practitioners to take the course to
certify a patient for medical cannabis and the topics to be covered in
that course. The bill also makes the information available to health
care practitioners and the public by requiring it be included on the
department of health and office of cannabis management websites and that
the department of health distribute the information in guidance for
practitioners.

Recent coverage of the impacts of cannabis include a New York Times
article from October of 2024 titled "As America's Marijuana Use Grows,
So Do the Harms" and includes the following reporting: "About 18 million
people - nearly a third of all users ages 18 and up - have reported
symptoms of cannabis use disorder, according to estimates from a unique
data analysis conducted for The Times by a Columbia University epide-
miologist That would mean they continue to use the drug despite signif-
icant negative effects on their lives. Of those, about three million
people are considered addicted."1

This recent City Journal piece describes rates of cannabis use and
includes the following reporting: "Emergency-room visits for cannabis-
related issues, including psychosis, have skyrocketed. A study of Cana-
dian drug policies found that cases of pot-induced psychosis doubled
after legal retail markets were introduced. The largest increases were
among men aged 19 to 24, whose hospital visit rate was four times higher
than that of older adults. The study also found that low-income neigh-
borhoods saw visit rates twice as high as the wealthiest areas. This
trend isn't limited to youth, however: a California study showed that
cannabis-related visits among adults 65 and older blasted from 20 per
100,000 in 2005 to 395 per 100,000 in 2019, with black adults suffering
the highest rates. With greater cannabis use during Covid-19, these
numbers have likely continued to mount. Another disturbing trend: great-
er pot consumption by pregnant women, influenced by the notion that
cannabis can reduce nausea and stress. A study of 250,000 pregnant women
found that about 20,000 tested positive for the drug. The study
concluded that marijuana smokers were 17 percent likelier to suffer from
hypertension and had a nearly one-in-five higher chance of experiencing
 a placenta abruption, which can block the baby's supply of oxygen and
nutrients and cause heavy bleeding in the mother.  "Research suggests
that pregnant people are bombarded with inaccurate messages from social
media, cannabis retailers and peers suggesting that cannabis use during
pregnancy is safe," one of the authors said.  "Our study provides timely
and important data that adds to the growing body of evidence indicating
that cannabis use during pregnancy is not safe."2

This reporting demonstrates the need for health care practitioners and
the public to be educated about the impacts and risks - as well as the
benefits - of cannabis use. Requiring comprehensive information to be
available to the public and requiring adequate education for health care
practitioners certifying patients for medical cannabis is a responsible
action New York should take to protect public health.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023-24 - A10001 - referred to health - is similar to this bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

TBD

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
180 days after signed into law.