2nd medical marijuana firm to begin home delivery on LI

A second medical marijuana company said Thursday it plans to expand home delivery to patients in certain counties, including Nassau and Suffolk.

Columbia Care NY, one of 10 companies licensed to manufacture and dispense medical marijuana in the state, said it would begin home delivery in November to registered patients on Long Island, as well as Staten Island. It already offered home delivery in six upstate counties and will add two more in October.

“Home delivery provides a way for patients — especially those who are homebound or battling chronic, debilitating illnesses — to receive the medications they need without barriers or burdens of travelling to our dispensaries,” Columbia Care NY CEO Nicholas Vita said in a statement. “The resounding success of our delivery service thus far has led us to expand into these additional counties, with the goal of eventually providing access throughout the state to all registered patients and caregivers.”

Columbia, which already operates a dispensary in Riverhead, will become the second medical marijuana provider to offer home delivery in the downstate region. Vireo Health announced in April it would offer home delivery in Nassau and Suffolk, as well as in Brooklyn and Queens.

Corey Hewitt, a Columbia Care NY director, declined to detail how many patients the company has, or how many already receive home-delivery service in counties where it operates. He said that, for safety reasons, deliveries are made in unmarked cars and drivers cannot accept cash for any payments.

The state Health Department said Thursday four companies (including Vireo and Columbia) are offering home delivery in various counties. The agency couldn’t say how many patients are taking advantage of the service.