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Clock Ticking as Florida Legislature Disagrees on How to Implement Medical Marijuana

April 14, 2017 - 11:30am

Two proposals to regulate Florida’s marijuana industry continue to weave their way through the halls of the Florida Capitol but there’s still a long way to go for lawmakers to reach any sort of agreement on how to move forward with medical pot in the Sunshine State.

With three weeks remaining until legislators say “sine die,” pound the gavel and head home for the year, state lawmakers will need to concur over a handful of issues revolving around implementing medical marijuana, from the number of licenses, how patients will ingest the drug and how doctors will prescribe the medication. 

The battle over the future of medical marijuana has been one of the most contentious and highly publicized of the 2017 legislative session. 

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services is set to hear the Senate bill, SB 406, sponsored by Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, next week.

Bradley’s bill is seen as a less restrictive proposal and would increase the cap on the number of marijuana dispensaries, expanding the number of businesses by five more when the state has 250,000 patients, 350,000 patients, 400,000 patients and then every 100,000 thereafter.  

SB 406 would also create a coalition for medical marijuana research through Tampa’s H. Lee Moffitt Center and Research Institute, one of the top medical research centers in the state.

The coalition would conduct “rigorous scientific research,” and “guide policy” for the adoption of a statewide policy on ordering and dosing practices for medical marijuana. 

Nonresidents would also be allowed to apply to receive medical marijuana in Florida as long as they are able to get medical marijuana in their home state and qualify in Florida. 

Bradley’s bill would also require Department of Health to have computer software system to track marijuana from “seed to sale,” following pot as it’s planted and distributed to patients statewide.

Meanwhile, House lawmakers are headed in the opposite direction, considering a much more restrictive proposal to regulate medical pot. That measure, HB 1397, sponsored by Rep. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, would ban smokeable marijuana as well as prohibit edibles and vaping. 

The House bill would also limit the number of growers in the state, resulting in far fewer growers.

Supporters of Rodrigues’ bill say it’s a critical step in the right direction for a “healthy” implementation of medical marijuana.

Groups like the Drug Free America Foundation, backed by anti-medical pot billionaire Mel Sembler, praised HB 1397 for limiting ways to ingest pot since they say the results of high-THC medication could be disastrous.

"We have no idea what the impact is going to be with these high potency products," said DFAF Deputy Director Amy Ronshausen last week.

Pro-medical marijuana advocates, meanwhile, have railed against Rodrigues’ proposal, saying it shuts out free market growers and goes against the will of Florida voters, who passed Amendment 2 to expand medical marijuana by 71 percent. 

Ben Pollara, executive director of Florida For Care, said he hoped lawmakers sided with Bradley’s proposals and made good on their promise to Florida voters. 

“My hope is that the Senate continues to do what they've been doing and makes SB 406 better in its final two committee stops, and that the House finally decides to live in reality, where 71 percent of Floridians approved a comprehensive, compassionate medical marijuana law,” Pollara told Sunshine State News. “Fingers crossed the Easter Bunny can deliver on the latter.

Other pro-medical marijuana groups say neither bill is a good choice to uphold the will of voters who said “yes” to Amendment 2. 

“It’s a huge disappointment,” Karen Goldstein, Executive Director of NORML Florida told SSN. “It’s very repressive. It’ll make it much harder for patients to get the medication they need. The Bradley bill is also not keeping with the intent of the amendment…and the limited number of growers will limit the numbers of strains. The spirit and intent of the market was free and open, and neither of those bills offer that.”

If passed next week, SB 406 will then head to the Senate Appropriations committee for approval.

 

Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.

Comments

It has been proven over and over again that marijuana is medicine and can treat a wide variety of conditions. You are simply refusing to admit this because if you do you won't be able to steal money from the legislation being passed like you're attempting to do. I guess if it doesn't involve psychologically and physically destroying teen aged kids then you are not interested in it. I can't wait until the entire state finally wakes up and realizes that the true demon is not cannabis but it's actually the Semblers.

I didn't realize you are also a doctor or pharmacologist. Many minds brighter than yours or mine say it IS medicine. The truth is, Mr Sembler, that you are much too old to have a relevant opinion on this. Your opinions are antiquated and I'm sorry to tell you that nobody really cares about your opinion, they just want your money. Sad truth.....

There so worried about medical marijuana being abused and making a way to take it they should just go ahead and let people make thier own choice if they want to use marijuana for there problems and pain so let them it would cut down on the pill mills and overdoses in the sunshine state or they're just trying to find a way to line they're own pockets if it was legal to use they would lose money from the makers of pain pills all the way down to the pharmacy they just want to control of what the people do its been voted by the people 71% so that should say some thing for the people. The government would lose money cause they wouldn't be locking people up for something so small and they could really use tax payer's money for more serious crimes go figure

Wow Mel ,I thought you would want to make money on this! But you following the ladder buying representatives and Senators off. Enjoy the $500,000 refund on you're failed campaigns!

Mr. Sembler...how do you think y'all are handling the opiate epidemic or the heroin epidemic that is throttling Florida currently? How come no one answers your phones at your Florida office? You sir have failed the citizens of Florida. I think it's high time you go watch the sunset and leave the good folks in Florida alone. We have been doing things your way for awhile now and it hasn't worked. Please use that time to get educated. No one likes seeing an elderly old rich man make a fool of himself.

Rodriguez will push this bill through and walk away with the money to live a happy life. He will need that money. He will be unemployed at the the end of this current term and he will need it to feed his family.

You sir are way too ignorant about medical cannabis to be so arrogant . I suggest you do a little research and get caught up with the rest of the world. Your money does not make you an expert on what medicine is, and it won't help you be less miserable than you are. Just an old behind the times old man that spent his whole life hurting other people while claiming to save them from something. You are a very sad and evil soul.

You are right, Mr.Sembler. Pot is not medicine. A Pot is what you plant a Flower in. Cannabis, however IS medicine. Let's start talking like a grown-up. Looks like you have 150 years of scientific articles and studies that you need to catch up on, along with the Nixon Adminstration's Shafer Commission report, "A Signal of Misunderstanding" that condradicts your comment. I'd be glad to share them with you. In the meantime, if you really want to help, you need to get your organizations to combat the opioid crisis. That is your friend Gov. Scott's priority, and it should be yours, too.

Sir, as a free citizen of the United States I reject HB1397 as too restrictive and represents more government over reach. Read the amendment that was past by 71.32% of Florida's voters, what you and Mr Rodrigues are promoting is nothing close to what was approved. Liberty/responsibility will over come your collective efforts.

Well, now. Just on the off-chance that anyone thought our "representatives" couldn't be bought...Sembler- who I do not recall as being an elected representative-has spoken. Rodrigues, Corcoran, et al are his lackeys.

We voted FOR Medical MariJuana. Put it through. Think "FREEDOM". I'm old, and I have far too many pains. Why do "Pro Politicians keep putting their feet in the aisle so everything gets tripped up. Stop fighting, children, Citizens of Florida WANT it, so just PASS IT!

They need to just go ahead and let people who want to use marijuana for problems they have if they choose to . it is more safer than any pills the sunshine state prescribes every day people over dose on prescription pills every day . you can not overdose on marijuana if you tried its impossible to do but you can overdose on pills very easily and drinking achohol kills people I say if a person chooses to want to use marijuana let them also in other states where they legalized marijuana drug overdoses has went down . they just don't want to legalize marijuana cause they can't regulate it if its done and they won't have control over it and there for there pockets won't get fatter and pharmaceutical use will drop because they want bebabpe to regulate it go figure t

Just legalize and make Marijuana legal for anyone over 21 years of age, that way everybody that smokes marijuana will get better.

These are the namesakes that you voted for...

One would think Ms. Nielson could be at least consistent-and more accurate-in her writing. In using the term " medical pot" , Nielson deliberately attempts to conflate so-called potheads/drug fiends of yore to those who would use cannabis for relief from myriad medical conditions. "Medical pot" , "medical marijuana", and "medical cannabis" do not, as Nielson is (or should be) aware, convey the same perception. Her bias is on public display-perhaps she forgot the differences between editorializing and reporting ? Words DO matter-although far too many now trivialize/ignore the importance of language and speech.

Cannabis is now COMPLETELY LEGAL in California, Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Washington DC. 29 states have legalized cannabis for “medical use”. Uruguay and Jamaica are now completely legal, Canada will go fully legal in 2018 and Mexico is moving forward toward full legalization. According to figures from the FBI over 100 BILLION is spent on illegal recreational cannabis annually in the USA and all that money currently goes to criminals. 30 BILLION is lost in potential tax revenue. Another 15 BILLION is spent on enforcing draconian cannabis laws that make absolutely no sense and destroy people's lives daily. The CDC says cannabis is much safer than booze and tobacco!! Legalize, regulate and TAX!

Once again, as in past years, legislators will require additional time for this year's session and will, once again, Fail to adopt a good, and strong bill! With this, the Florida will continue to FAIL ALL of the people in Florida1

Chris Christie and the New Jersey legislature pulled this very same crap simply because they were anti-cannabis. Period. Here it is, over four years since the amendment passed and they still haven't hammered out a deal. They're not even discussing it lately! I am a high level chronic pain sufferer (multiple spinal injuries) who lived in southern California in the 90's and was very skeptical about pot's medicinal value, especially for pain. Others I'd met with the same condition raved about it's ability to significantly deal with the debilitating pain, muscle spasms, and anxiety from which I continued to suffer some two years after the work-truck roll-over accident in which I was injured. Still, I believed it was just a bunch of pot heads that found a way to get their drug legally. But I finally acquiesced and an amazing thing happened. The number of opioids and muscle relaxers I was taking decreased by over 50% and I suffered milder symptoms than when taking the full dosage. And the Xanax for anxiety? I quit taking it all together. Now I live here in Florida again and all I can say is...OUCH! I'm back to living in severe pain again and it looks like I will be for a long while yet to come. But that doesn't mean squat to these clowns.

In other words, if you weren't in need of it yourself you would still be part of the problem.

I say if a person chooses to use marijuana let them its safer than any pills that's out there they want to make cannabis hard to get but they want to keep pills mills going I would much rather see someone use in marijuana than taking pills cause the pills are killing the youth its much safer than any pill and alcohol they just don't want marijuana legal cause they would lose money

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