Cuomo's office meets with medical-marijuana advocates
Members of Gov.
Cuomo's office meets with medical-marijuana advocates Members of Gov. Check out this story on DemocratandChronicle.com: http://on.rocne.ws/1rNqTag
Jon Campbell, ROC Published 4:58 p.m. ET July 29, 2014
Members of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration met this week with about a dozen advocates for medical marijuana as some lawmakers call on him to speed up the state's issuance of the drug.
Deputy Secretary for Health Courtney Burke and Howard Zucker, acting commission of the state Department of Health, were among those who met Monday with the advocates, all of whom were active in convincing Cuomo and lawmakers to approve the state's new medical-marijuana law in June.
Late last week, the sponsors of the bill wrote to Cuomo, urging him to consider different ways to get the drug to patients more quickly. Under the new law, the Department of Health has 18 months to get the state's medical-marijuana system up and running.
Kate Hintz, a resident of North Salem, Westchester County, said the purpose of the meeting was to keep lines of communication open with advocates as the state begins to implement its program.
"I'm pleased that they have opened a dialogue with advocates and parents, such as myself," said Hintz, who was part of the meeting Monday. "I think that there are ways that we can safely and efficaciously provide medicine sooner than an 18 month time period."
Hintz' daughter Morgan, 3, suffers from Dravet Syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy. She suffers from multiple seizures a day while adhering to a strict diet, and her mother is hopeful an oil-based marijuana derivative could help calm the condition.
Sen. Diane Savino, D-Staten Island, and Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, D-Manhattan -- who were the prime sponsors of the medical-marijuana bill -- sent a letter Saturday to Cuomo, pressuring him to take action to get the drug to epileptic children sooner.
The letter was also signed by Sen. Mark Grisanti, R-Buffalo. It came after the death earlier this month of Anna Conte, a 9-year-old girl from the Buffalo area who suffered from Dravet Syndrome.
(File photo by Seth Harrison/The Journal News)
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