The New York State Medical Marijuana Program has continued to expand in recent years, now servicing 38,128 certified patients via 1,349 registered practitioners, according to the New York State Department of Health (DOH).
Of the more than 1,000 New York State doctors approved to certify patients for medical marijuana, at least 28 of them practice on Staten Island.
To qualify for the state’s Medical Marijuana Program, doctors must meet the following four requirements set forth by the DOH:
- Be qualified to treat patients with one or more of the serious conditions set forth in Public Health Law SS3360(7) or as added by the commissioner.
- Be licensed, in good standing as a physician and practicing medicine, as defined in article 131 of the Education Law in New York State.
- Have completed a four-hour course approved by the commissioner.
- Have registered with the New York State Department of Health.
Even after a doctor has been approved for the program, he or she may be removed at any point for violation of one of the four requirements.
Dr. Thomas Savino, of Dongan Hills, has recently been removed from the state’s Medical Marijuana Program, according to the DOH.
Savino was convicted in October of accepting at least $25,000 in bribes from Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services LLC from July 2012 to April 2013, according to a media release from federal prosecutors.
He was found guilty on all 10 counts of an indictment charging him with one count of conspiring to commit violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Federal Travel Act and wire fraud.
For information on the status of your physician, you can visit the New York State Physician Profile Page.
According to the DOH, physicians are responsible for updating their own profile pages, with the department taking action only when a physician fails to maintain his or her page.
