Medical marijuana, which some argue works better as a pain reliever than narcotics, also costs more.

Last year, state senators proposed a bill that would force public insurance plans to cover medical marijuana and allow private insurance plans to pay up as well.

The bill passed the Senate, but never made it out of the state Assembly.

What You Need To Know

  • More than 100,000 New Yorkers have a medical marijuana card

  • Last year, state senators proposed a bill that would force public insurance plans to cover medical marijuana and allow private insurance plans to pay up as well

  • If there is a renewed push for the Senate bill as is, it would add medical marijuana to four publicly funded health programs

Michael Singh told NY1 the cost pushes his family to the more addictive and dangerous narcotics for their 9-year-old son, King Singh, who is recovering from cancer.

“A 30-day prescription of oxycodone for 20 bucks, and that’s easy for [my son] to get, but an ounce of cannabis costs anywhere from [$200] to $300,” Singh said.

To make matters worse, insurance doesn't cover marijuana.

“Our son was not thriving at all. And on this path that we have taken, he is thriving,” Michael Singh said.

King has to get his blood tested every three months for cancer. He was diagnosed with leukemia and a rare white blood cell disease at 3 years old.

“I feel good taking it because it makes me feel pain free,” King said.

King takes CBD oil and a couple drops of a liquid version of marijuana once a day, to help with nerve damage and pain from chemotherapy. It helps him to do the simplest of things, like his favorite activity, drawing.

If there is a renewed push for the Senate bill as is, it would add medical marijuana to four publicly-funded health programs.

The measure is something that would benefit more than 100,000 people who carry medical marijuana cards.