2018 New York Laws
PBH - Public Health
Article 33 - Controlled Substances
Title 5-A - Medical Use of Marihuana
3363 - Registry Identification Cards.
* § 3363. Registry identification cards. 1. Upon approval of the certification, the department shall issue registry identification cards for certified patients and designated caregivers. A registry identification card shall expire as provided in section thirty-three hundred sixty-one of this title or as otherwise provided in this section. The department shall begin issuing registry identification cards as soon as practicable after the certifications required by section thirty-three hundred sixty-nine-b are granted. The department may specify a form for a registry application, in which case the department shall provide the form on request, reproductions of the form may be used, and the form shall be available for downloading from the department's website.
2. To obtain, amend or renew a registry identification card, a certified patient or designated caregiver shall file a registry application with the department. The registry application or renewal application shall include:
(a) in the case of a certified patient:
(i) the patient's certification (a new written certification shall be provided with a renewal application);
(ii) the name, address, and date of birth of the patient;
(iii) the date of the certification;
(iv) if the patient has a registry identification card based on a current valid certification, the registry identification number and expiration date of that registry identification card;
(v) the specified date until which the patient would benefit from medical marihuana, if the certification states such a date;
(vi) the name, address, federal registration number, and telephone number of the certifying practitioner;
(vii) any recommendation or limitation by the practitioner as to the form or forms of medical marihuana or dosage for the certified patient; and
(viii) other individual identifying information required by the department;
(b) in the case of a certified patient, if the patient designates a designated caregiver, the name, address, and date of birth of the designated caregiver, and other individual identifying information required by the department;
(c) in the case of a designated caregiver:
(i) the name, address, and date of birth of the designated caregiver;
(ii) if the designated caregiver has a registry identification card, the registry identification number and expiration date of that registry identification card; and
(iii) other individual identifying information required by the department;
(d) a statement that a false statement made in the application is punishable under section 210.45 of the penal law;
(e) the date of the application and the signature of the certified patient or designated caregiver, as the case may be;
(f) a fifty dollar application fee, provided, that the department may waive or reduce the fee in cases of financial hardship; and
(g) any other requirements determined by the commissioner.
3. Where a certified patient is under the age of eighteen:
(a) The application for a registry identification card shall be made by an appropriate person over twenty-one years of age. The application shall state facts demonstrating that the person is appropriate.
(b) The designated caregiver shall be (i) a parent or legal guardian of the certified patient, (ii) a person designated by a parent or legal guardian, or (iii) an appropriate person approved by the department upon a sufficient showing that no parent or legal guardian is appropriate or available.
4. No person may be a designated caregiver if the person is under twenty-one years of age unless a sufficient showing is made to the department that the person should be permitted to serve as a designated caregiver. The requirements for such a showing shall be determined by the commissioner.
5. No person may be a designated caregiver for more than five certified patients at one time.
6. If a certified patient wishes to change or terminate his or her designated caregiver, for whatever reason, the certified patient shall notify the department as soon as practicable. The department shall issue a notification to the designated caregiver that their registration card is invalid and must be promptly returned to the department. The newly designated caregiver must comply with all requirements set forth in this section.
7. If the certification so provides, the registry identification card shall contain any recommendation or limitation by the practitioner as to the form or forms of medical marihuana or dosage for the certified patient.
8. The department shall issue separate registry identification cards for certified patients and designated caregivers as soon as reasonably practicable after receiving a complete application under this section, unless it determines that the application is incomplete or factually inaccurate, in which case it shall promptly notify the applicant.
9. If the application of a certified patient designates an individual as a designated caregiver who is not authorized to be a designated caregiver, that portion of the application shall be denied by the department but that shall not affect the approval of the balance of the application.
10. A registry identification card shall:
(a) contain the name of the certified patient or the designated caregiver as the case may be;
(b) contain the date of issuance and expiration date of the registry identification card;
(c) contain a registry identification number for the certified patient or designated caregiver, as the case may be and a registry identification number;
(d) contain a photograph of the individual to whom the registry identification card is being issued, which shall be obtained by the department in a manner specified by the commissioner in regulations; provided, however, that if the department requires certified patients to submit photographs for this purpose, there shall be a reasonable accommodation of certified patients who are confined to their homes due to their medical conditions and may therefore have difficulty procuring photographs;
(e) be a secure document as determined by the department;
(f) plainly state any recommendation or limitation by the practitioner as to the form or forms of medical marihuana or dosage for the certified patient; and
(g) any other requirements determined by the commissioner.
11. A certified patient or designated caregiver who has been issued a registry identification card shall notify the department of any change in his or her name or address or, with respect to the patient, if he or she ceases to have the serious condition noted on the certification within ten days of such change. The certified patient's or designated caregiver's registry identification card shall be deemed invalid and shall be returned promptly to the department.
12. If a certified patient or designated caregiver loses his or her registry identification card, he or she shall notify the department and submit a twenty-five dollar fee within ten days of losing the card to maintain the registration. The department may establish higher fees for issuing a new registry identification card for second and subsequent replacements for a lost card, provided, that the department may waive or reduce the fee in cases of financial hardship. The department shall issue a new registry identification card as soon as practicable, which may contain a new registry identification number, to the certified patient or designated caregiver, as the case may be. The certified patient or designated caregiver shall not be able to obtain medical marihuana until the certified patient receives a new card.
13. The department shall maintain a confidential list of the persons to whom it has issued registry identification cards. Individual identifying information obtained by the department under this title shall be confidential and exempt from disclosure under article six of the public officers law. Notwithstanding this subdivision, the department may notify any appropriate law enforcement agency of information relating to any violation or suspected violation of this title.
14. The department shall verify to law enforcement personnel in an appropriate case whether a registry identification card is valid.
15. If a certified patient or designated caregiver willfully violates any provision of this title as determined by the department, his or her registry identification card may be suspended or revoked. This is in addition to any other penalty that may apply.
16. The commissioner shall make regulations for special certifications, which shall include expedited procedures and which may require the applicant to submit additional documentation establishing the clinical basis for the special certification. If the department has not established and made available a form for a registry application or renewal application and determined the application fee if any, or established and made available a form for a registry application or renewal application and determined the application fee for a special certification, then in the case of a special certification, a registry application or renewal application that otherwise conforms with the requirements of this section shall not require the use of a form or the payment of an application fee.
* NB Repealed July 5, 2021
