Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Florida House of Representatives members voted near unanimously Tuesday to approve implementation rules for medical marijuana, after weeks of back and forth negotiations among members of both the House and the Senate.
The vote is a huge step toward implementing Amendment 2, which voters overwhelmingly approved in November. The issue heads now to the Senate where lawmakers will decide whether to approve the House version of the bill or head back to the negotiating table. This is the final week of the legislative session.
House Bill 1397 by Rep. Ray Rodrigues (R-Estero) was originally a conservative proposal with controversial provisions like banning eating, vaporizing or smoking the drug and prohibiting pregnant women from accessing marijuana even if a doctor recommended it.
An amendment to the bill approved Tuesday allows edibles and vaporizing. It still blocks pregnant women from accessing full-strength marijuana, but allows them to use strains low in the high-inducing chemical THC.
Under Rodrigues’ original bill, only one new medical marijuana license would be issued until 150,000 patients entered the marketplace. The Senate bill called for five new licenses by this July with another four per 75,000 patients entering the marketplace.
The approved version of Rodrigues’ bill is a compromise that adds 10 new license holders by July 2018 and then four more for every 100,000 patients in the marketplace.
Other changes to the bill include removing a requirement that would-be patient caregivers pass an exam before being allowed to assist the patient.
The amended bill also allows patients to use their driver’s license photo for medical marijuana ID cards to accommodate sick patients who may have difficulty obtaining a new photo.
The new version of the bill was approved 105-9 after more than an hour of debate. Supporters said the final version was carefully negotiated to safeguard patients and the public while also adhering to the will of the voters.
The few remaining critics varied in opposition, with some angry that the bill blocks smoking and competition in the medical marijuana marketplace. Others said the amended bill wasn’t restrictive enough. Two lawmakers, both doctors, claimed there is no science to support the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
The House and Senate versions of medical marijuana are nearly reconciled, according to Rodrigues. He said there is only one remaining point of contention — whether to cap the number of medical marijuana treatment centers. The Senate version of the bill limits how many dispensaries each license holder can open to three; the House version is not capped.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical marijuana implementation in Florida is about to spark - Tampa Bay Business Journal
Author: Janelle Irwin
Contact: https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/about-us/contact
Photo Credit: Nola Laleye
Website: https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay
The vote is a huge step toward implementing Amendment 2, which voters overwhelmingly approved in November. The issue heads now to the Senate where lawmakers will decide whether to approve the House version of the bill or head back to the negotiating table. This is the final week of the legislative session.
House Bill 1397 by Rep. Ray Rodrigues (R-Estero) was originally a conservative proposal with controversial provisions like banning eating, vaporizing or smoking the drug and prohibiting pregnant women from accessing marijuana even if a doctor recommended it.
An amendment to the bill approved Tuesday allows edibles and vaporizing. It still blocks pregnant women from accessing full-strength marijuana, but allows them to use strains low in the high-inducing chemical THC.
Under Rodrigues’ original bill, only one new medical marijuana license would be issued until 150,000 patients entered the marketplace. The Senate bill called for five new licenses by this July with another four per 75,000 patients entering the marketplace.
The approved version of Rodrigues’ bill is a compromise that adds 10 new license holders by July 2018 and then four more for every 100,000 patients in the marketplace.
Other changes to the bill include removing a requirement that would-be patient caregivers pass an exam before being allowed to assist the patient.
The amended bill also allows patients to use their driver’s license photo for medical marijuana ID cards to accommodate sick patients who may have difficulty obtaining a new photo.
The new version of the bill was approved 105-9 after more than an hour of debate. Supporters said the final version was carefully negotiated to safeguard patients and the public while also adhering to the will of the voters.
The few remaining critics varied in opposition, with some angry that the bill blocks smoking and competition in the medical marijuana marketplace. Others said the amended bill wasn’t restrictive enough. Two lawmakers, both doctors, claimed there is no science to support the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
The House and Senate versions of medical marijuana are nearly reconciled, according to Rodrigues. He said there is only one remaining point of contention — whether to cap the number of medical marijuana treatment centers. The Senate version of the bill limits how many dispensaries each license holder can open to three; the House version is not capped.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical marijuana implementation in Florida is about to spark - Tampa Bay Business Journal
Author: Janelle Irwin
Contact: https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/about-us/contact
Photo Credit: Nola Laleye
Website: https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay
