Robert Celt
New Member
One of the biggest laws to pass through the Florida legislature this year revolved around medical marijuana, and even though the bill passed with wide support from both chambers and is waiting to be signed off by Gov. Rick Scott, not everyone in the Sunshine State is happy with the state's newly passed legislation.
Florida lawmakers stood on the House and Senate floors for hours during this year's 60-day legislative session, debating whether or not the legislation would be the right step for suffering Floridians who wouldn't have much longer left to live.
Under the bill, HB 307, patients with terminal illnesses who only had a year left to live would be allowed to receive a low-THC medical marijuana in a non-smokable form.
Only physicians can put patients on the compassionate use registry. Physicians would have to participate in an 8-hour course and an exam offered by the Florida Medical Association or the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association that teaches physicians the clinical indications for the appropriate use of low-THC cannabis and medical cannabis.
Any patient under the age of 18 would need a second opinion from another physician to determine whether medical marijuana was right for them.
The course would also cover "appropriate" cannabis delivery mechanisms as well as the federal laws about medical marijuana. The exam would be administered at least annually, according to the proposal.
The legislation would also provide for five dispensing operations to make medical marijuana accessible to patients. The five dispensaries would be located in Florida's five different regions: northwest Florida, northeast Florida, central Florida, southeast Florida and southwest Florida.
Dispensaries would have to show they had the technology and technical ability to produce medical cannabis. They'd also have to have a valid certificate from the Florida Department of Agriculture, which would allow them to cultivate over 400,000 plants.
Several groups still say the legislation wouldn't do enough to provide relief to patients who are still suffering from other ailments.
One group, CannaMoms, a group made up of parents who want to legalize medical marijuana, said they aren't so sure the legislation will be completely effective since it's full of heavy regulations for ill patients.
"Tragedy, heartbreak, and disease are always devastating," the group wrote on its Facebook page.
Many other Floridians with diseases statewide have voiced their upset over the legislation, because they say they still can't get the relief they need due to the regulations of the legislation.
The fight for medical marijuana is far from over, however. Just last month, a statewide campaign pushed by Orlando attorney John Morgan and People United for Medical Marijuana (United For Care) gathered enough signatures to get a constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana back on the ballot in 2016.
In 2014, the amendment failed to reach the necessary 60 percent of the general vote by only three percent, but polls seem to indicate the ballot initiative could be off to a better start this year. A recent Public Policy Polling survey found 65 percent of Florida voters -- more than enough to pass the ballot initiative -- would vote "yes" to the amendment in November.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Florida Medical Marijuana Bill Awaits Scott's Signature
Author: Allison Nielsen
Contact: Sunshine State News
Photo Credit: None found
Website: Sunshine State News
Florida lawmakers stood on the House and Senate floors for hours during this year's 60-day legislative session, debating whether or not the legislation would be the right step for suffering Floridians who wouldn't have much longer left to live.
Under the bill, HB 307, patients with terminal illnesses who only had a year left to live would be allowed to receive a low-THC medical marijuana in a non-smokable form.
Only physicians can put patients on the compassionate use registry. Physicians would have to participate in an 8-hour course and an exam offered by the Florida Medical Association or the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association that teaches physicians the clinical indications for the appropriate use of low-THC cannabis and medical cannabis.
Any patient under the age of 18 would need a second opinion from another physician to determine whether medical marijuana was right for them.
The course would also cover "appropriate" cannabis delivery mechanisms as well as the federal laws about medical marijuana. The exam would be administered at least annually, according to the proposal.
The legislation would also provide for five dispensing operations to make medical marijuana accessible to patients. The five dispensaries would be located in Florida's five different regions: northwest Florida, northeast Florida, central Florida, southeast Florida and southwest Florida.
Dispensaries would have to show they had the technology and technical ability to produce medical cannabis. They'd also have to have a valid certificate from the Florida Department of Agriculture, which would allow them to cultivate over 400,000 plants.
Several groups still say the legislation wouldn't do enough to provide relief to patients who are still suffering from other ailments.
One group, CannaMoms, a group made up of parents who want to legalize medical marijuana, said they aren't so sure the legislation will be completely effective since it's full of heavy regulations for ill patients.
"Tragedy, heartbreak, and disease are always devastating," the group wrote on its Facebook page.
Many other Floridians with diseases statewide have voiced their upset over the legislation, because they say they still can't get the relief they need due to the regulations of the legislation.
The fight for medical marijuana is far from over, however. Just last month, a statewide campaign pushed by Orlando attorney John Morgan and People United for Medical Marijuana (United For Care) gathered enough signatures to get a constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana back on the ballot in 2016.
In 2014, the amendment failed to reach the necessary 60 percent of the general vote by only three percent, but polls seem to indicate the ballot initiative could be off to a better start this year. A recent Public Policy Polling survey found 65 percent of Florida voters -- more than enough to pass the ballot initiative -- would vote "yes" to the amendment in November.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Florida Medical Marijuana Bill Awaits Scott's Signature
Author: Allison Nielsen
Contact: Sunshine State News
Photo Credit: None found
Website: Sunshine State News
