The Florida Department of Health wants Floridians to speak up on Amendment 2 and will hold five public forums statewide to help voice concerns over the rocky implementation of medical marijuana in the Sunshine State.
Florida For Care, an arm of People United For Medical Marijuana, sent out an email urging Floridians to attend the five workshops which will be held next week in Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa and Tallahassee.
The point of the workshops, Florida For Care says, is to help the public “voice their concerns” over how the Florida Department of Health is implementing Amendment 2.
So far, the group says the department is doing an awful job.
“With over 71 percent of Florida voters passing Amendment 2 in 2016 we thought that the will of the people would be followed,” wrote FFC spokesperson Ben Pollara in an email to supporters Wednesday.
Pollara says the department isn’t doing enough to listen to the will of the people, which is a big problem for the future of medical pot.
“As the Department of Health is moving to implement Amendment 2 they are choosing to ignore and disregard elements that we all supported that fail to give those suffering the access they deserve,” Pollara wrote.
There have already been lots of roadblocks on the path to medical marijuana. Both the department and state legislators will need to hammer out regulations on the medical marijuana industry within the next six to nine months, and Florida For Care already has concerns.
Lawmakers in Tallahassee have already proposed some regulations like adding growers as the state’s compassionate use list grows, but Pollara says Florida would still lag behind other states where the patient-to-grower ratio is five or six times lower.
Florida For Care has also expressed concerns about the department limiting the number of medical conditions covered by the drug. According to Amendment 2, doctors should be the ones to make decisions on who qualifies for medical pot.
Other lawmakers have proposed abolishing all of the state’s medical marijuana laws and starting from scratch.
On Wednesday, Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, filed a law to overhaul the medical marijuana industry, changing statutory caps on Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers and expanding the medical marijuana marketplace.
“The laws on the books today promote a state-sanctioned cartel system that limits competition, inhibits access, and results in higher prices for patients,” Brandes said on the law. “Florida should focus on what is best for patients.”
Attending the workshops, Pollara said, is a key way for Floridians to make their voices heard.
“It is important that you weigh in as they will be using this as a mechanism to influence their decisions,” Pollara wrote.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
