The state Health Department on Monday announced that it has licensed four new nonprofit medical-marijuana producers, bringing the total to five. The new providers immediately can begin producing medical cannabis.

One of the four new providers is Santa Fe businessman Len Goodman, who told The New Mexican that his next step will be to prepare the interior of his facility, an undisclosed building in the county, where he'll grow the plant.

"We've got to get our security system, get our seedlings, work on our delivery system, our credit-card processing, all kinds of things," Goodman said in a phone interview. "Most of this is all new. You call up your insurance agent and say you want a policy for a medical marijuana production facility. He tells you he's got to check with his underwriter because they haven't done this before. It's all new."

Goodman's company, NewMexicann, will become Santa Fe County's second licensed provider in the state's medical marijuana program. The first, Santa Fe Institute for Natural Medicine, was licensed in February, nearly two years after Gov. Bill Richardson signed the law creating the program.

Health Secretary Alfredo Vigil said in a news release Monday, "Our main goals are to ensure our patients have access to the medicine they need while building a sustainable program for New Mexico. The medical cannabis program is for people who cannot get relief from their suffering from any other means. We are very proud of the program's success so far."

There are 755 active medical cannabis patients, of whom 204 are licensed to grow their own supply of medical marijuana. Patients certified for the program are allowed to possess four mature plants and 12 seedlings.

The Department of Health estimates that each licensed producer will be able to supply enough marijuana for about 100 patients.

Patients are allowed to possess 6 ounces of medical cannabis at a time. The producers are allowed to have 95 mature plants and seedlings and have an inventory of usable medical cannabis for patients.

Because of privacy and safety concerns, the state has a policy against disclosing the names of its medical marijuana providers, but they are free to talk publicly.

Goodman, who since 1972 has owned and operated Arius Tiles in Santa Fe, said he intends to distribute to patients statewide. "The majority of patients, according to the Health Department, are in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, but patients are scattered all over the state." He said he plans to deliver to the door for the same price, though some in distant areas will have to wait longer.

"The majority of medical marijuana users really want their privacy respected, both in regard to their medical conditions and the fact they are using marijuana to treat it," Goodman said. "By and large, we're talking about serious medical conditions."

He said he's yet to determine a price for his marijuana. One possibility, Goodman said, is a sliding scale in which higher-income patients pay more.

Goodman already has assembled a board — which was required by the state — consisting of patients and a medical professional. He also has a Web site, newmexicann.org, though several sections still are under construction.

According to a Health Department memo dated Oct. 1, 249 certified patients at that time lived in Bernalillo while 131 lived in Santa Fe County, 55 lived in Doña Ana County and 48 lived in Taos County.

The memo says 138 patients were being treated for post-traumatic stress syndrome, 135 for cancer, 99 for HIV or AIDs and 79 for spinal-cord damage. Under the program, the qualifying conditions include those as well as severe chronic pain, painful peripheral neuropathy, intractable nausea/vomiting, severe anorexia/cachexia, hepatitis C infection with antiviral treatment, Crohn's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease), glaucoma, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. Hospice patients also are eligible.

Last month, the Department of Justice announced a new Obama administration policy directing federal drug agents not to arrest or prosecute medical marijuana patients and their sanctioned suppliers in states that have legalized medical marijuana — as long as the respective state's medical-marijuana law is not being violated.

Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com. Read his political blog at roundhouseroundup.com