More medical marijuana is coming to Florida.
On Wednesday, a new dispensary announced it had received authorization from the Florida Department of Health’s Office of Compassionate Use to process and dispense medical marijuana in the Sunshine State.
CHT Medical, a subsidiary of Chestnut Hill Tree Farm, a farm founded in 1981 in Alachua, will now begin distributing medical marijuana to those with prescriptions for the drug.
“Our mission is to bring revolutionary new products, science and research to this important new field of medicine, and make it available to patients and physicians in the State of Florida,” said , CHT’s CEO Robert Wallace. “Patients have found the use of medical cannabis to alleviate certain conditions associated with epilepsy, cancer, chronic pain, opiate abuse, PTSD, and many other conditions and illnesses.”
Chestnut Hill Tree Farm grows more than 400,000 plants annually in the Northeast region of Florida. It is one of the six licensed dispensing organizations across the state for cultivation, processing and dispensing medical pot to patients in Florida.
With Wednesday’s news comes the possibility of more cannabis-based therapies for patients in Florida. The farm will be expanding its greenhouse cultivation facilities to help grow the plants and will open a chain of dispensaries in Florida’s major metropolitan areas next year.
“CHT Medical looks forward to introducing new medical products and treatments that directly address individual patients’ medical needs,” continued Wallace.
Last November Chestnut Hill became one of the few companies to receive a license to grow and dispense medical marijuana in Florida.
A low-THC strain of pot is already legal in Florida. In 2014, state lawmakers approved the “Charlotte’s Web” strain of non-euphoric marijuana for patients suffering with epilepsy. Amendment 2 would expand coverage of medical marijuana to other conditions.
Dispensaries began distributing and delivering medical marijuana to patients this summer and many companies have already opened several locations to dispense the drug statewide.
At the present time, medical marijuana is severely limited to patients suffering with epilepsy, but more patients are scheduled to receive the drug in the new year.
Last month, Florida voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana for patients with “debilitating” conditions. The amendment received 71 percent of the vote.
Qualifying conditions for medical pot include epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, and other health issues which a physician feels using marijuana would outweigh the potential health risks for a patient.
The measure will allow for the medical use of marijuana by a qualifying patient or caregiver. It would also prohibit physicians from being subject to criminal or civil liabilities under Florida law for issuing a prescription for medical marijuana.
CHT Medical will begin delivering medical cannabis products to its patients in January.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
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