A 6709: 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.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6709 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY March 10, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. KELLES, BICHOTTE HERMELYN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health 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 10 of section 30 of the cannabis law is amended 2 and a new subdivision 11 is added to read as follows: 3 10. (a) Prior to issuing a certification a practitioner must complete, 4 at a minimum, a two-hour course as determined by the board in 5 regulation; provided, however, that such course shall, at a minimum, 6 meet the requirements of paragraph (c) of this subdivision. For the 7 purposes of this article a person's status as a practitioner is deemed 8 to be a "license" for the purposes of section thirty-three hundred nine- 9 ty of the public health law and shall be subject to the same revocation 10 process. 11 (b) The office shall approve at least one, if not more, course for 12 practitioners seeking to certify patients for medical cannabis, which 13 shall be a minimum 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. 19 11. The office shall provide information on the office's website on 20 the endocannabinoid system awareness program established pursuant to 21 section thirty-three sixty-a of the public health law, including the 22 information and guidance established pursuant to subdivision two of such 23 section. 24 § 2. Subdivision 12 of section 3360 of the public health law, as added 25 by chapter 90 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows: EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD08994-02-5 
 A. 6709 2 1 12. "Practitioner" means a practitioner who (i) is a physician 2 licensed by New York state and practicing within the state, (ii) who by 3 training or experience is qualified to treat a serious condition as 4 defined in subdivision seven of this section; and (iii) has completed a 5 two to four hour course as [determined by the commissioner in regu- 6 lation] required pursuant to section thirty-three hundred sixty-one of 7 this title and section thirty of the cannabis law and registered with 8 the department; provided however, a registration shall not be denied 9 without cause. Such course may count toward board certification require- 10 ments. The commissioner shall consider the inclusion of nurse practi- 11 tioners under this title based upon considerations including access and 12 availability. After such consideration the commissioner is authorized to 13 deem nurse practitioners as practitioners under this title. 14 § 3. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 3361 of the public 15 health law, as added by chapter 90 of the laws of 2014, is amended to 16 read as follows: 17 (a) a practitioner has been registered with the department to issue a 18 certification as determined by the commissioner and has completed the 19 two-hour course required pursuant to subdivision ten of section thirty 20 of the cannabis law; 21 § 4. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 3360-a 22 to read as follows: 23 § 3360-a. Endocannabinoid system awareness program. 1. There is hereby 24 established within the department the endocannabinoid system awareness 25 program which shall educate health care practitioners regarding the 26 endocannabinoid system and how it interacts with other bodily systems. 27 2. The commissioner, in consultation with the office of cannabis 28 management, shall establish and distribute to health care practitioners 29 comprehensive information and guidance regarding the endocannabinoid 30 system and how it interacts with other bodily functions. Such informa- 31 tion and guidance shall include, but not be limited to, the following 32 topics: 33 (a) the endocannabinoid system; 34 (b) cannabinoids, chronic pain and opioids; 35 (c) pharmacogenetics and cannabis; 36 (d) federal food and drug administration (FDA) approved cannabinoid 37 medications; 38 (e) risks, benefits, and impacts of cannabis consumption on pathways; 39 and 40 (f) interactions of cannabis with other medications. 41 3. The department shall: 42 (a) inform health care practitioners of the need to be aware of the 43 endocannabinoid system and how it interacts with other bodily functions; 44 and 45 (b) provide information on the department's website on the endocanna- 46 binoid system awareness program, including the information and guidance 47 established pursuant to subdivision two of this section. 48 § 5. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 49 it shall have become a law; provided, however, that the amendments to 50 title 5-A of article 33 of the public health law made by section four of 51 this act, shall not affect the repeal of such title and shall be deemed 52 repealed therewith. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment 53 and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation 54 of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 55 completed on or before such effective date.