ALBANY – Medical marijuana will be coming to an area near many New Yorkers within the next 18 months, according to a bill signed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Monday afternoon that established a medical marijuana program for patients suffering from certain serious conditions.

“This new law takes an important step toward bringing relief to patients living with extraordinary pain and illness,” Cuomo said. “I applaud the lawmakers and advocates whose efforts over the past years were crucial in making medical marijuana a reality in New York State.”

According to Senate co-leader Jeffrey D. Klein, the program is one of the safest and most tightly regulated medical marijuana programs in the country.

Said Speaker Sheldon Silver, “Our goal now will be to get this program up and running swiftly, safely and efficiently so that they can get the treatment they need.”

Claire Dahm, a woman who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) said she knows several people in her MS group that use – and swear by – the use of medical marijuana.

Dahm, a Norwich native currently living out of state does not use medical marijuana for her condition. It is not legal in Maryland.

“It (medical marijuana) is less harmful than the narcotic pain killers that the doctors prescribe, and it doesn’t have any of the nasty side effects: getting addicted and hurting their intestines,” said Dahm.