ALBANY – New York's fledgling medical marijuana program might soon be able to offer patients marijuana-infused lotions, patches and chewables under new regulations proposed by the state's Department of Health.

Chewable and effervescent medical marijuana tablets, along with lozenges and certain “non-smokable forms of ground plant material,” could soon be eligible to residents with severe illnesses, such as cancer, HIV, AIDS, ALS or Parkinson's disease. Currently, eligible patients are able to ingest medical marijuana through capsules and liquids or oils for vaporizing. The proposed regulations are slated to be published in the State Register on Aug. 23, where they'll be subject to a 30-day comment period before being adopted by the Department of Health.

The announcement comes less than two weeks after the state announced five additional companies to manufacture and dispense medical marijuana (NYLJ, Aug. 1), effectively doubling the program.In a statement, health Commissioner Howard Zucker said that the regulations would “continue to improve the program in several ways, including making new forms of medical marijuana available and improving the dispensing facility experience.”