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The Florida House confounded the naysayers and agreed to legalize a limited strain of marijuana for a specific list of medical purposes, bringing the last-chance remedy closer to reality for thousands of Floridians suffering with epilepsy. As the families of children with intractable epilepsy watched from the public gallery, the House voted 111-7 and sent a compromise bill to the Senate, which is expected to approve it and send it to the governor on Friday, the final day of the legislative session. "If we do not act today with the safety net and the provisions in this bill, those children will die,'' said Rep. Ray Pilon, R-Sarasota, a former police officer and one of 34 co-sponsors of the bill. "I plead with you. Reach down into your hearts. Are we really doing to harm these children? I don't think so. Do we have a great possibility of saving their lives? Absolutely."
The bill authorizes doctors to order low-THC cannabis for use by patients suffering from cancer and chronic seizures and severe and persistent muscle spasms, including Lou Gehrig's disease and other chronic conditions. Five dispensaries throughout the state, operated by nurserymen who have been registered in Florida for at least 30 years, must be licensed to provide access to the drug. The dispensaries must show they can cultivate non-euphoric marijuana, have the appropriate financial stability and have its operators undergo a background check. Authorized patients will be allowed access to the drug through oil or vapor form, but it may not be smoked. The House compromised with the Senate to reduce the number of ailments covered by the legalized marijuana.
"While I wanted this to be on Alzheimer's, PTSD, we have compromised with the Senate and only added cancer," said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Shalimar, the chief sponsor. "There are specific conditions that you must have and, if you don't, you will commit a criminally culpable act." Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, voted against the measure but commended Gaetz for putting together a narrowly crafted bill. "This could be the rifle shot that creates a massive avalanche,'' he said. "I pray it's not. I pray it hits the target, meets this need and shows people the right way...I simply can't pull the trigger." The bill also establishes a compassion use registry to list patients and requires a doctor to verify that before a patient is authorized to use low-THC cannabis no other treatment can be used. Patients must consent they know the risks and the University of Florida College of Pharmacy will do research to determine the most effective treatment.
Supporting the amendment: the Florida Sheriffs Association, the Florida Polices Chiefs Association, the Florida Medical Association and the Florida Osteopathic Association. After several members made heart-felt appeals to vote on the bill, shared their stories of concern and hope for families with ill children, Gaetz looked to the families in the gallery and thanked them for their commitment to their children. "We would not be here without the love of parents,'' he said. "This is an exceptional love and it is a special kind of love that special children can instill. He then urged them to appeal to Florida Gov. Rick Scott who has remained noncommital on the bill. "Gov. Scott is a a good man and I would ask you to get eye-ball to eye-ball with him and move his heart the way you have moved ours,'' he said. The chamber broke into applause, waived the rules and overwhelmingly approved the bill on final vote.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Miamiherald.typepad.com
Author: Mary Ellen Klas
Contact: Contact Us | MiamiHerald.com
Website: House passes limited medical marijuana bill 111-7
The bill authorizes doctors to order low-THC cannabis for use by patients suffering from cancer and chronic seizures and severe and persistent muscle spasms, including Lou Gehrig's disease and other chronic conditions. Five dispensaries throughout the state, operated by nurserymen who have been registered in Florida for at least 30 years, must be licensed to provide access to the drug. The dispensaries must show they can cultivate non-euphoric marijuana, have the appropriate financial stability and have its operators undergo a background check. Authorized patients will be allowed access to the drug through oil or vapor form, but it may not be smoked. The House compromised with the Senate to reduce the number of ailments covered by the legalized marijuana.
"While I wanted this to be on Alzheimer's, PTSD, we have compromised with the Senate and only added cancer," said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Shalimar, the chief sponsor. "There are specific conditions that you must have and, if you don't, you will commit a criminally culpable act." Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, voted against the measure but commended Gaetz for putting together a narrowly crafted bill. "This could be the rifle shot that creates a massive avalanche,'' he said. "I pray it's not. I pray it hits the target, meets this need and shows people the right way...I simply can't pull the trigger." The bill also establishes a compassion use registry to list patients and requires a doctor to verify that before a patient is authorized to use low-THC cannabis no other treatment can be used. Patients must consent they know the risks and the University of Florida College of Pharmacy will do research to determine the most effective treatment.
Supporting the amendment: the Florida Sheriffs Association, the Florida Polices Chiefs Association, the Florida Medical Association and the Florida Osteopathic Association. After several members made heart-felt appeals to vote on the bill, shared their stories of concern and hope for families with ill children, Gaetz looked to the families in the gallery and thanked them for their commitment to their children. "We would not be here without the love of parents,'' he said. "This is an exceptional love and it is a special kind of love that special children can instill. He then urged them to appeal to Florida Gov. Rick Scott who has remained noncommital on the bill. "Gov. Scott is a a good man and I would ask you to get eye-ball to eye-ball with him and move his heart the way you have moved ours,'' he said. The chamber broke into applause, waived the rules and overwhelmingly approved the bill on final vote.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Miamiherald.typepad.com
Author: Mary Ellen Klas
Contact: Contact Us | MiamiHerald.com
Website: House passes limited medical marijuana bill 111-7
