They included a number of Health Department scientists as well as three architects, an accountant and an auditor. They were chosen for their specialties — including chemistry, internal medicine, and pharmaceutical drugs, according to the department — to create a “multidisciplinary team.”

The state’s program has been criticized for a cumbersome and often opaque roll-out, in part because of restrictions placed on the drug’s medical use — for example, it cannot be smoked and must be used in forms like tinctures and oils. Critics have also faulted the state for seemingly opting to create a model from scratch, despite more than 20 other states having medical marijuana programs, an assertion that the Health Department disputes, saying its panel — despite its lack of expertise in the field — drew from other states’ experiences.

The identity and methodology of the panel has taken on new import in recent months as the Health Department has moved to use their 2015 evaluations as a basis for awarding licenses to as many as five additional companies, part of a broader effort to expand access to the drug.

Critics, and even some supporters, of the program have said that the small number of dispensaries — 20 approved statewide — and the high cost of medical marijuana has made it difficult for some patients to get the drug, particularly in remote or rural areas.

Companies running the dispensaries have said that they have yet to make a profit; a trade association representing the five current licensees filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court in Albany seeking to halt the expansion.