New York S 6972: Relates to the topics of the course required to be taken by practitioners certifying patients as eligible for medical cannabis

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S06972 Summary:

BILL NOS06972B

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS A06709-B

&nbsp

SPONSORHARCKHAM

&nbsp

COSPNSRSCARCELLA-SPANTON

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Amd §30, add Art 3-A §50, Cannabis L; amd §206, Pub Health L

&nbsp

Relates to the topics of the course required to be taken by practitioners certifying patients as eligible for medical cannabis; establishes the endocannabinoid system awareness program; requires the office of cannabis awareness and the department of health to publish information about the endocannabinoid system awareness program on their websites.

Go to top S06972 Actions:

BILL NOS06972B

&nbsp

03/27/2025REFERRED TO HEALTH

03/28/2025AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO HEALTH

03/28/2025PRINT NUMBER 6972A

01/07/2026REFERRED TO HEALTH

04/15/2026AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO HEALTH

04/15/2026PRINT NUMBER 6972B

Go to topS06972 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS06972 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS06972 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 6972--B

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 March 27, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sens. HARCKHAM, SCARCELLA-SPANTON -- read twice and
 ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on
 Health -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
 amended and recommitted to said committee -- recommitted to the
 Committee on Health in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 --
 committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and
 recommitted to said committee

 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 endo-
 cannabinoid system awareness program

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. Subdivision 8 of section 30 of the cannabis law, as amended
 2 by chapter 544 of the laws of 2025, is amended and a new subdivision 9
 3 is added to read as follows:
 4 8. (a) Prior to issuing a certification a practitioner must complete
 5 appropriate training as determined by the board in regulation; provided,
 6 however, that such course shall, at a minimum, meet the requirements of
 7 paragraph (c) of this subdivision. For the purposes of this article a
 8 person's status as a practitioner is deemed to be a "license" for the
 9 purposes of section thirty-three hundred ninety of the public health law
 10 and shall be subject to the same revocation process.
 11 (b) The office shall approve at least one course for practitioners
 12 seeking to certify patients for medical cannabis, which shall be a mini-
 13 mum of two hours in duration.
 14 (c) The educational content of such course or courses shall include:
 15 the pharmacology of cannabis; contraindications; side effects; adverse
 16 reactions; overdose prevention; drug interactions; dosing; routes of
 17 administration; risks and benefits; warnings and precautions; abuse and
 18 dependence; and such other components as determined by the office.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD08994-08-6

 S. 6972--B 2

 1 9. The office shall provide information on the office's website on the
 2 endocannabinoid system awareness program established pursuant to section
 3 fifty of this chapter, including the information and guidance estab-
 4 lished pursuant to subdivision two of such section.
 5 § 2. The cannabis law is amended by adding a new article 3-A to read
 6 as follows:

 7 ARTICLE 3-A
 8 ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM AWARENESS PROGRAM

 9 Section 50. Endocannabinoid system awareness program.
 10 § 50. Endocannabinoid system awareness program. 1. There is hereby
 11 established within the office, in consultation with the department of
 12 health, the endocannabinoid system awareness program which shall create
 13 educational materials for health care practitioners regarding the endo-
 14 cannabinoid system and how it interacts with other bodily systems.
 15 2. The executive director, in consultation with the commissioner of
 16 health, shall create comprehensive information and guidance regarding
 17 the endocannabinoid system