MedReleaf Corp. a leading Canadian manufacturer of medical-grade cannabis has announced that it has entered into an exclusive partnership in New York State with Compassionate Care Center of New YorkTM (CCCNYTM) a leading biopharmaceutical company applying to become one of five Registered Organizations authorized in New York State to serve the condition-specific palliative needs of qualifying patients with safe and accessible pharmaceutical-grade therapeutics derived from the cannabis plant.

The Durst family real-estate empire — which weeded out pot-loving killer Robert Durst from its ranks — is teaming up with a major hospital trade association in a bid to legally grow and dispense medical marijuana.

Durst, 72, has been locked in a New Orleans jail since his March 14 arrest, when FBI agents found a revolver and marijuana in his hotel room, his latest in a string of pot-fueled follies.

Kinex Pharmaceuticals LLC is hoping to add medical marijuana to its product mix.

Company officials have confirmed its wholly-owned subsidiary, Kinex Supportive Pharmaceuticals LLC, is among 43 companies applying for a medical marijuana license as part of New York’s new medical marijuana program under the Compassionate Care Act signed last summer.

That makes Kinex among at least half a dozen Western New York-based companies competing with more than three dozen firms vying for the five licenses set to be awarded by the State Department of Health this summer.

SENECA, NY -- There's a push to get the medical marijuana industry up and running on Indian territories. Leaders of the National Tribal Cannabis Association expect to see the industry in full swing on some reservations within the next year.

Former president of the Seneca Nation, Robert Porter, helped organize meetings that about 75 tribal leaders from across the country have attended.

Last week Porter met with tribes within the Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan region.

Porter say most tribes are showing interest in the medical marijuana industry and regulations are starting to be drafted.

Porter said, "I don't see many leaders talk about adult recreational use at this time."

A total of 43 companies are competing for a license to grow and sell medical marijuana in New York.

The state Health Department late Tuesday released a list of the companies that applied for a license before the June 5 deadline. The state is expected to award five licenses next month, and the recipients will begin dispensing marijuana to seriously ill patients in January.

The state has not identified the principals behind the companies or where the businesses would be located.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Forget lucrative tax-free offers for new and expanding businesses.

What some companies really want to do in New York is grow and sell pot.

On Tuesday, the state announced that 43 companies have applied for just five spots to be sanctioned growers and distributors of medical marijuana in New York. During a six-week window, those companies filed copious paperwork and paid $10,000 a pop each for the opportunity to be considered as a legitimate New York marijuana manufacturer and distributor.

ALBANY – Patients and state lawmakers on Tuesday made a final push for New York to pass a bill that would provide emergency access to medical marijuana for ill patients.

New Yorkers with severe illnesses and legislators urged the Legislature to pass the bill and for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign it as the state Department of Health considers medical marijuana growers and hopes to have a statewide distribution system in place by Jan. 1.

With New York State beginning to accept applications for medical marijuana providers last week, criticism of the hyper-strict program negotiated by Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been plentiful. Hinged on concerns about arbitrary regulations and insufficient patient access, advocates for medical marijuana access worry the program will be too small and restrictive to be effective.

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Could a medical marijuana dispensary be coming to a New York City storefront near you?

As CBS2’s Hazel Sanchez reported, one company has already signed a lease to open up shop in Downtown Brooklyn, but not everyone in the neighborhood wants them to move in.

“Think Apple store meets pharmacy,” said Andre Bogolubov.

Bogolubov, of marijuana producer and dispenser Palliatech, is hoping his company will be one of five dispensaries to be granted a state license to open up a medical marijuana store.

“It is like a pharmacy. It’ll be quiet, secure business, and it will really help people who need it in the community,” he said.

When it comes to starting a marijuana business, not all states are created equal. In many medical marijuana states with older programs, the barrier to entry into the market is not that large. In Oregon it’s literally as easy as applying for a dispensary license for a fee, and finding a place that is a proper distance away from a school or another dispensary. I know people that have opened dispensaries in Oregon for $10,000, and that includes all the startup costs to start making sales. Most dispensaries in Oregon cost more than that, but for a basic dispensary, that amount is doable.