Will You Keep Your Recreational Card Under New York’s Recreational Law?

In 2021, The Hotel Chelsea’s birthplace, the location of Woodstock and a haven for drugs, sex, and rock & roll culture, will become the first state in New York to legalize recreational marijuana. In March 2019, New York State announced its intention to legalize adult-use cannabis. And the new measures came into force right away. 

As New York becomes the 16th state in the United States to legalize recreational marijuana, it’s important to be aware of the medical marijuana program still in place. The medical marijuana program offers patients access to New York’s medical marijuana doctors and dispensaries. Here are a few things you should know about the medical marijuana program in New York.

Where and what you can smoke in New York

In New York, it is legal to smoke marijuana in public. However, only where smoking tobacco is already permitted. Additionally, smoking cannabis in a no-smoking area may result in hefty fines. In addition to this, you’ll be fined if you’re under the age of 21. To use cannabis or go to a dispensary,

What types of cannabis products are available in New York?

  • Capsules
  • Concentrates and Oils.
  • Sprays
  • Tinctures
  • Topicals
  • Vape Carts
  • Whole flower

When it comes to smokable marijuana, most rentals, and hotels or apartment complexes are off-limits. It’s difficult to identify the other sorts of products. However, the landlord has the final word on whether or not controlled substances may be used. For fire safety reasons as well.

What is the recreational marijuana limit in New York?

If you’re going to the marijuana shop, it’s never a good idea to be “riding dirty,” but bear in mind that there are restrictions on legal quantities. Residents of New York can now buy up to 3 ounces of marijuana for personal use, thanks to new adult-use regulations. That includes wax, honey, and shatter.

There are fewer limitations at home. Residents of New York will be able to cultivate cannabis in their own homes. You may get fined $125 if you carry more than 3 ounces of marijuana. People selling cannabis without a license would be fined $250. A distribution charge is also a possibility.

Will it become legal to grow marijuana at home soon?

Residents of New York State who are 21 years old or older may grow up to three mature plants and three immature plants (or seedlings). Growing a six-plant crop will make producing cannabis a breeze. Residents of New York cannot sell the marijuana they produce at home. They can, however, give it without legal issues to family members or friends who are older than 12 years.

The state has already given licensed cultivators and dispensaries a head start. For 18 months, New Yorkers will not be permitted to produce cannabis. The date by which the home-grow restrictions go into effect will begin after the first retail recreational sale is made in the state.

There is no legal restriction on the amount of cannabis that New Yorkers may keep at home right now. Home growers, on the other hand, are obligated to exercise caution and keep cannabis away from children.

How Do You Renew a Medical Marijuana Card in New York?

Check the expiration date on your New York medical card. Before your card expires, you must renew it and allow for processing time. You can make an appointment with a New York marijuana doctor up to four weeks ahead of time to undergo telemedicine or an in-office visit.

Patients must visit the health center at least once a year to stay in the patient registration program. Updating your profile is next after receiving a new suggestion or certificate. Patients must join the New York State Department of Health’s (DOH) Medical Marijuana Certification Program to access medical marijuana doctors. This will allow them to get the medical marijuana they need.

The cost of renewing medical marijuana cards in New York is $50 each year. The yearly health check-up and evaluation from a referring doctor can range from $100 to more than $300, depending on the physician or medical practice.

Should I keep my NY Medical Card even though taxes for recreational weed will be higher?

In New York, there will be a 13% excise tax on adult-use or recreational cannabis sales. Lawmakers have predicted that the 13 percent tax will produce more than $350 million in annual revenue. In addition, adult-use legalization is expected to promote around 60,000 new employment opportunities in the state.

Those are excellent things, but the tax component isn’t ideal. New Yorkers already pay plenty in taxes! That’s a 13 percent excise tax on top of the 9% state sales tax for a total of 22 percent. Governor Cuomo originally proposed an 18% excise tax with Senate Bill 854, which is even more exorbitant.

Do you want to let your medical card expire and exercise your rights for recreational marijuana? Here’s something to be proud of if you opt to let your health card expire and use your freedom for recreational cannabis. Have you ever been curious about how a state’s medical marijuana program finances its expenditures? New York will allocate adult-use marijuana sales tax earnings as 9% will go to the state of New York.

  • Schools and educational programs will receive 40% of the funds.
  • Approximately 40% of the funds will be used to support racial equity programs in POC (people of color) communities.
  • Municipalities that allow adult-use dispensaries and cultivators will receive 4% of the tax.

In the same way that other states have, New York legislators have permitted cities and towns to regulate cannabis as they see fit. Some communities are opposed to dispensaries and want them to shut down. Local sales of adult-use cannabis will be taxed at a rate of 75 percent, with local taxes going towards the cities and towns that do so.

In New York Telemedicine is available for patients

The Governor of New York announced new legislation in January 2021 to expand telehealth in the state. To expand access to healthcare for patients and reduce healthcare costs for low-income households, Cuomo has taken executive action. Telemedicine health evaluations are now available for medical cards. By the passage of Assembly Bill A2552A, telemedicine became legal for physicians in New York State.

The bill will also enable telemedicine services to be reimbursed through Medicaid. It will also allow cultivators and processors to obtain national licenses. A strategy to assist alleviate historic cannabis shortages in New York’s North East regions.

The New York Health Information Exchange will aggregate telemedicine services (PMR). Evaluations of medical cannabis may be submitted to the PMR and examined by the patient’s regular physician. People with severe and chronic problems provide a more accessible route to multidisciplinary treatment and medicines provided by several practitioners, including physicians who can recommend the medical card.

Racial equity can be improved by funding programs that target persons of color (POCs)

You’ve undoubtedly heard the statistic that an African-American or Hispanic person is four times more likely to be arrested for a marijuana offense in the United States? That figure alone is appalling. In New York City alone, the NYPD made 94 percent of marijuana arrests from Hispanics, black people, and Latin Americans. Caucasians have a higher usage rate than other POC groups according to the most recent New York City Health Department Survey.

Would I Be Able To Get An NY Medical Card? Should I Keep Or Cancel My Existing NY Medical Card?

Many individuals who obtained a medical card while they were suffering from chronic illness are asking if they should keep it now that marijuana has been legalized. Should you keep your medical card? That implies undergoing a health checkup every year and paying $60 in fees to the healthcare program.

The first genuine thought is cost savings. Calculate how much cannabis you would buy each month to determine if this is a viable option for you. Now, consider the amount of taxes you will have to pay or multiply it by 22 percent. That’s how much more money you will be spending on the excise tax if you don’t have a New York medical card. For most people, it is far less expensive than annual registration and a physician’s referral.

When you initially received your New York medical card, your referring doctor provided recommendations. Someone who was knowledgeable about your health history, illnesses, and the use of cannabis therapeutically. Because health issues and drugs are sometimes modified over time, it’s a good idea to enlist the assistance of a certified professional.

Remember how things got serious with the epidemic in March 2020? The extensive lockdowns resulted in the closure of several retail businesses. Coffee shops, restaurants, recreational states, and public pools, ‘ cannabis dispensaries were among the items affected. Medical dispensaries, on the other hand, remained operational for patients.

The most essential purpose of keeping your card is so that you can purchase at a recreational dispensary in the future. It might take anywhere from one to two years before you can shop at a recreational facility.

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