Story highlights New York Legislature passes bill that would allow medical marijuana use in non-smokable form

Bill awaits signature of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has expressed support

Under bill, a doctor can prescribe marijuana to patients with serious conditions

(CNN) The expected signature of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is all that is needed for the state to permit the use of medical marijuana.

The "Compassionate Care Act" was passed by the State Assembly early Friday, according to Jason Elan, a spokesman for Sen. Diane Savino, a sponsor of the bill. The state Senate later passed the bill.

Under the proposed law, doctors will be allowed to prescribe marijuana in a non-smokable form to patients with serious diseases and conditions that are recognized by the state on a predefined but flexible list of conditions.

On Friday, Cuomo reiterated his support for the measure, which could take up to 18 months to fully implement.

"Medical marijuana has significant upsides and significant potential downsides," Cuomo told reporters. "We wanted to do right. And that was the balance that we had to find in this piece of legislation... It is a system that will provide the benefits to people who need it, which can be significant. Even for children, children with epilepsy. But it is a system that also has safeguards, will involve the State Police to monitor and supervise the system."

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