ALBANY -- A bill that would expedite patients’ access to medical marijuana has been sent to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s desk.

Cuomo will have until Nov. 11 to either sign or veto the bill, which the state Legislature passed in late June.

The Medical Marijuana Expedited Access bill comes after a state medical-marijuana program was passed in 2014 and is set to be up and running by January. It allows for medical marijuana in non-smokeable forms for patients suffering from severe illnesses, particularly children is chronic epilepsy.

But medical marijuana supporters have questioned whether the deadline would be met and said the bill would allow sick patients to more quickly get access to medical marijuana.

An emergency bill for medical marijuana is on Governor Andrew Cuomo's desk after being passed by both houses of the legislature.

It's up to the governor to either sign the bill into law or veto it. If this bill passes, they say it would allow the medical marijuana plant in Rochester to open earlier. 

Right now, it is scheduled to open in January. We heard from one local lawmaker Saturday about why he thinks it’s so important for this bill to be signed into law.

In order to prescribe medical marijuana, doctors must pay for an online course, which has some patient advocates worried it will deter physicians from getting certified.

With controversial legislation comes a set of guidelines, and that’s what’s happening with medical marijuana.

“She didn’t have seizures from day one,” Nancy Rivera said of 8-year-old Charlotte Figi.

The Colorado girl had frequent seizures since she was a baby, but now she’s being treated by medical cannabis.

“She’s almost 9-years old, and this was her first day of school ever,” Rivera said. “She has never been to school because of the seizures.”

When New York's new medical marijuana program takes effect next year, employers in this state will find themselves caught between federal and state law.

The state law, signed by Gov. Cuomo in July 2014, will authorize certified patients to receive medical marijuana to treat a select group of serious illnesses. Federal law, however, still considers any form of marijuana illegal.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York state will require physicians to complete an educational course before they can authorize medical marijuana for patients - an unusual mandate not applied to other new drugs or seen in other states with medical marijuana programs.

State officials say the 4½-hour, $250-online course will inform doctors about a complex drug treatment not covered in medical school. But while the investment of time and money is modest, some patient advocates worry the inconvenience could discourage physicians from participating, ultimately limiting patient access.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York state will require physicians to complete an educational course before they can authorize medical marijuana for patients - a condition generally not applied to new drugs or seen in other states with existing medical pot programs.

The 4.5 hour online training course will cost doctors $250.

Officials say training will help physicians understand the drug when the state’s medical marijuana program begins in January. But some patient advocates say the inconvenience could discourage physicians from participating, ultimately limiting patient access.

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Now that New York has legalized medical marijuana, many advocates are pushing for decriminalizing the drug entirely.

Such was the top of a public hearing Wednesday at Buffalo City Hall.

Downstate Senator Liz Kreuger and Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes have introduced the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, which would legalize the drug for people over the age of 21.

They say the cost of criminalization of the drug is too great compared to the benefits.

In late September, America got its very first hemp bar, when an establishment called Brooklyn’s Dark Hemp Bar opened in New York City. But not even a month passed before it closed, thanks to demands imposed by regulators from the city’s health department. One possible reason may be that hemp–which can now be legally grown in New York state–is still wrongly perceived as a mind-altering drug, and may have been targeted by the city.

ALBANY— With roughly three months left until the state’s medical marijuana program is supposed to be fully operational, several companies awarded a license to grow and distribute the drug aren’t sure where they will locate some of their dispensaries, calling into question whether the program will be up and running by January, as Governor Andrew Cuomo promised.

Five of the 20 dispensary locations, which the state sanctioned, have not been finalized yet by the local governing body, meaning that patients in large areas of the state could be left without access to the drug.

The apparent lack of readiness alarmed patient advocates, who were already concerned that the state's program was too limited to provide statewide access.

While New York’s medical marijuana program is scheduled to go into effect this January, it is uncertain whether enough doctors will be able to recommend cannabis to the patients who need it most.