Medical marijuana dispensaries opened across New York state in January despite the low number of registered patients, doctors that will prescribe it and locations to obtain it. The owners of one dispensary in Syracuse said the program is just in the beginning stages and they expect it will continue to grow.
The Syracuse location is the third medical marijuana dispensary in New York State for Hillary Peckham’s company, Etain. She said right now she only has 25 registered patients in the two that have opened so far.
“I’m hoping that everyone recognizes the benefits that this is having for patients and that it can help a lot more than what New York has chosen at this point,” Peckham said.
The state has some of the most restrictive medical marijuana rules in the country. Only patients with severe or life-threatening illnesses can get a recommendation from a qualifying doctor for medical marijuana. There are only 20 dispensaries allowed statewide and they can only sell concentrated oil-based products that can be vaporized, taken orally or applied to the skin. Peckham said she thinks the concentrated oil is a better alternative than smoking the plant.
"It's very highly regulated and tested for consistency and homogeneity and with flower and bud you can't really provide that consistency because it is a plant," Peckham said. "When it's in a concentrated oil you can test it. It goes through three weeks of testing before we can actually get it out on the shelves."
Etain's products sell for $100 to $250. The business is entirely cash based because any bank with federal insurance cannot take clients who sell medical marijuana.
Peckham said she hopes more doctors will prescribe medical marijuana as an alternative to opioids.
"Which have a lot of side effects whereas this doesn't," Peckham said.
She expects some patients will be traveling from three to four hours away for the Syracuse dispensary’s opening.
