STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Of the 100,000 medical marijuana patients currently registered in New York, many are turning to the black market for easier access, wider variety of treatment and cheaper prices, according to state Sen. Diane Savino (D-North Shore/Brooklyn).

The current medical program "makes patients wait too long, pay too much and travel too far,” Savino said.

She recently proposed a bill in the Senate Health Committee that would expand the categories of who is allowed to prescribe marijuana from doctors and nurse practitioners to other medical professionals who use pain medication such as podiatrists and dentists. It also would maintain the current listed medical conditions for patients to be eligible, while allowing for “any other condition certified by the practitioner.”

“We don’t insert ourselves into any other aspect of healthcare professionals and their patients,” said Savino. “It’s time we do that with this program as well.”

The bill would provide for smokable marijuana, increase the allowable supply from 30 days to 60 days and require the commissioner of health to establish a medical marijuana research license.

It also would increase the maximum number of dispensaries for each of the 10 licensed marijuana companies in New York from four to eight. Many experts predict those license holders -- some of them national chains -- will be given the authority to operate grow houses and dispensaries in what inevitably will be a legal recreational market.

One of those companies, MedMen, donated more than $10,000 to Savino’s campaign fund last year.

When asked about the donation, Savino said it’s no different than any other donor who contributed to the campaign: “If you look at the amount of money I raised during a two-year period of time, am I in Labors’ pocket?”

A spokeswoman for MedMen said the following: “In the past, we have proudly supported Sen. Savino and her mission to expand patient access. We strongly believe that a world where cannabis is legal and regulated is safer, healthier and happier.”

Political donations totaling $130,000 linked to MedMen and affiliates have gone to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who initially was opposed to the idea of a legal market before recently changing positions, according to a LoHud report.

DEADLINE TO LEGALIZE FAST APPROACHING

Fast approaching is the June 19 deadline to legalize recreational use of marijuana this year, as Democrats battle with each other over who exactly should benefit from the industry.

A revised bill sponsored by state Sen. Liz Krueger (D- Manhattan) and Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes (D-Buffalo) calls for a single, streamlined government entity to manage and regulate all cannabis-related products, along with a social equity provision that allocates tax revenue to communities negatively impacted by the war on drugs.

Some lawmakers have called for a guarantee that convicts who are impacted by marijuana-related arrests have some stake in the industry, or that national chains only be licensed to operate production facilities, allowing for more entrepreneurs in low-income, minority communities to operate dispensaries.

Savino said a successful industry would be too hard without the current players being a part of it.

“Some are saying the industry is too white and too male and don’t want big marijuana coming in... that anyone in the industry now shouldn’t be allowed to have license, " said Savino. “What frustrated me was the inability to understand the complexities of this industry. If you cut them out, you shut out the capital for startups."

Staff of Assemblyman Charles Fall, who also represents neighborhoods on the North Shore negatively impacted by the war on drugs, did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment on the matter.

Republican lawmakers and lobby groups opposed to legalizing adult-use have expressed concerns about traffic safety and putting children at risk of ingesting marijuana products. Those in favor have pointed to studies that show subjects able to drive effectively while impaired by marijuana, and say they trust in state regulations and common sense to keep products away from children.