New York, New Hampshire, Connecticut; Key differences in their Medical Cannabis Programs
In Bangkok, you’ll readily find scorpions and spiders grilled on a stick being sold as a snack. You’ll see baskets of grubs, sometimes on sale, all for your (least) favorite soup.
In Mexico, you can find children playing hockey with a flaming ball of wood as their puck in the middle of a tiny pueblo in the desert.
In Hong Kong, you can wake up in one of the world’s most important financial hubs, eat dim sum for breakfast, hike to a beach by lunch, and almost step on a Chinese cobra before escaping the jungle and getting back to see the city’s famous Light Show put on every night over the Tsim Sha Tsui harbor.
Traveling shows you all sorts of new things. However, you don’t have to travel across the world to find significant differences from what you might be accustomed to. In fact, just changing states can radically change what patients should expect from a medical cannabis program.
Let’s examine a few key differences between three states with medical cannabis programs in the Northeast.
Traveling with a Medical Cannabis Card Between States
For example, if you are traveling, the only state that you can legally use your medical cannabis card from another state in is New Hampshire. Both New York and Connecticut do not offer reciprocity to patients from other states.
However, there are a few caveats for those who travel to New Hampshire with their medical cannabis card. The most striking is that out-of-state patients are not allowed to purchase cannabis from the dispensaries within New Hampshire.
Ironically, possession of cannabis from another state is allowed. However, it’s federally illegal to cross state lines medical cannabis, so protection from New Hampshire law enforcement may not mean protection from the feds.
Access to Medical Cannabis
Not all states are created equal when it comes to the availability of medical cannabis cards. Out of the three states we’re discussing here, Connecticut has approved the longest list of qualifying conditions including any illness that is labeled as a “terminal illness requiring end-of-life care.”
In contrast, the number of conditions that New York has approved is relatively scant. Their list includes the common illnesses covered such as epilepsy and a range of neuropathic disorders.
The qualifying conditions aren’t the only limits.
Here are the purchasing limits for each state:
New York: 30-day supply, pursuant to recommendations and limits set by their practitioner
New Hampshire: up to 2 ounces every 10 days
Connecticut: up to 2.5 ounces per month
Sadly, home cultivation is not allowed in any state at this time.
