It seems that more is not enough. Five more organizations had been licensed by the State Department of Health to manufacture and sell medical marijuana in New York, but of the 25 dispensary locations, not one is set to open in Southernmost boroughs of New York City.
The Health Department was cited that the five new organizations was selected after a rigorous evaluation process and the licensees are best suited to provide quality medical marijuana to New Yorkers based on the state’s strict requirements.
Marijuana advocates consider the program too restrictive as it only allows for five manufacturers and 20 dispensaries and prohibits smoking. It also prohibits dispensing of the drug within 1,000 feet of a school or church, criteria which is difficult to meet in most parts of Brooklyn. The advocates also believed that the program is limited in scope as it only covers relief just for 10 specific illnesses.
State Senate Diane Savino fiercely sponsored the original but finds it ironic that her own constituents from parts of Staten Island and Southern Brooklyn will have to travel and find relief for their medical marijuana. Savino was a bit amazed that no Brooklyn locations were approved for manufacturing or dispensing the drug. She noted that Industry City which is within the industrial part of Sunset Park, and secluded from schools or playgrounds, would have been a great location for a cultivation house. Her constituents who desperately need medicinal weed hope that some dispensaries will develop a delivery system to serve their needs.
New York became the 23rd state to legalize marijuana in June 2015 despite continuing opposition from former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor Andrew Cuomo.