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Brooklyn To Get Two Marijuana Dispensaries With State’s Approval

Brooklyn To Get Two Marijuana Dispensaries With State's Approval

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Brooklyn To Get Two Marijuana Dispensaries With State’s Approval

The New York State Department of Health is allowing Brooklyn to get two marijuana dispensaries as soon as next year.

Last week the New York State Department of Health announced it would be allowing five more companies to open marijuana dispensaries within the state. The companies just need to pass inspections before they get the final approval. Until now, Brooklyn had no dispensaries. Now, the state is allowing Brooklyn to get two marijuana dispensaries.

Brooklyn To Get Two Marijuana Dispensaries

Brooklyn To Get Two Marijuana Dispensaries With State's Approval

In a press release, the New York Department of Health said the aim of the move is to increase “geographic distribution” and give more patients access to medical weed. The two companies opening up shop in Brooklyn go by the names Valley Agriceuticals and Citiva.

Valley Agriceuticals submitted an application earlier but was denied. “When we didn’t get a license the first time around, we kept our entire team, we kept our manufacturing facility, and we kept our development plans and educational materials, assuming this day would come,” said Valley Agriceuticals President Erik Holling.

Every cannabis company that has been approved in New York will be allowed to open up to four dispensaries. Previously, only ten were allowed in the state. But new regulations made it so that New York could have up to 40 dispensaries statewide.

As a result of these changes, the Department of Health is allowing Brooklyn to get two marijuana dispensaries. This is happening for a couple of key reasons.

For starters, officials believe it will make medical marijuana in New York more accessible and affordable to qualifying patients. Before Valley Agriceuticals and Citiva open, both companies must complete site inspections. However, that can take until 2018 or later, so medical weed patients in the area shouldn’t get too hyped just yet.

“The addition of these registered organizations will make it easier for patients across the state to obtain medical marijuana, improve the affordability of medical marijuana products through the introduction of new competition, and increase the variety of medical marijuana products available to patients,” said New York Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker.

More Medical Marijuana For New Yorkers

Brooklyn To Get Two Marijuana Dispensaries With State's Approval

As of now, New York City has four dispensaries: two in Manhattan, one in Queens, and one in the Bronx. Soon there will be more in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Long Island. Officials hope that the increase in the number of facilities selling cannabis will increase competition, which could ultimately drive down costs to patients.

On top of that, patients are being given access to new forms of medical marijuana. Currently, patients can only buy three options at the dispensary: THC cartridges, tinctures, or capsules filled with coconut oil and cannabis extract.

Now, patients will have access to both lozenges and lotions. The Department of Health is only giving patients access to products that can’t be used recreationally.

In addition to all this, the Department of Health is also making it easier for doctors to get a licensed so they can certify patients for medical marijuana. In the past, doctors had to complete a four-hour course. But now, the state is working with doctors to craft a new two-hour course.

Final Hit: Brooklyn To Get Two Marijuana Dispensaries

The New York State Department of Health is allowing Brooklyn to get two marijuana dispensaries. If all goes according to plan, they will be open as soon as 2018.

Brooklyn is the second most densely populated county in the United States. That could be why Valley Agriceuticals was acquired for $17.3 million earlier this month. The changes coming to New York could be the next steps toward legalization. In fact, some believe New York could fully legalize weed by 2019.

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