Seventy-one percent of Floridians voted to legalize full-strength medical marijuana on Nov. 9.
But it can’t go into effect until the Legislature works out the laws – and that process is moving slower than a bunch of high school kids on 4/20.
If, like those high school kids, you forgot what the terms are, we’ll remind ya. Approved doctors can now recommend full-strength medical marijuana to more patients, for a larger range of conditions.
Chill, it doesn’t mean you can’t ask your doctor to give you some weed for your headache, tho. It’s for far more serious things, like cancer, HIV, or epilepsy. You can see the full list here.
Anyway, here’s where we’re at so far.
Doctors can’t prescribe marijuana in Florida. Here’s why.
The New TropicAmendment 2 can’t go into effect until the Legislature works out the laws. It’s going to stay in this weird gray area for awhile, with a lot of unanswered questions. We answered some of yours as best as we could, like “How can I become a ‘caregiver’ or ‘dispensary’?” and “Can I grow hemp and make hemp oil?”
Other states have figured out medical marijuana rules. Why can’t Florida?
Miami HeraldLawmakers are currently writing new rules to govern medical marijuana in Florida. Even though it’s illegal under federal law, 28 states and Washington D.C. allow medical marijuana in some form. Florida legislators are looking at how other states have governed it, and there are basically three models they can choose from: the very lenient California, the very strict New York, and the middle ground, Arizona.
Five months after medical pot's big ballot win, anti-drug group helps decide drug's fate
Tampa Bay TimesThe Drug Free America Foundation is a group that opposed this amendment and a similar one in 2014. This group and its lobbying arm sent lawmakers 43 suggestions for inclusion into the House bill that will define the rules around the medical marijuana program. About half of those made it in, with the overall effect being that it’s making it harder to access medical marijuana.
Meet Florida's legal drug cartels
Tampa Bay TimesMedical marijuana is predicted to become a $1 billion dollar industry in Florida in the next three years. So, while yes, the law is supposed to be written with patients at the forefront — obviously there’s a lot more at stake. Only seven companies are currently licensed to produce, cultivate, and sell medical marijuana in Florida. Which gives the state more control, but also creates a quasi-monopoly.
Trulieve opens new medical marijuana dispensary in Miami
Florida PoliticsTrulieve, one of the seven companies licensed to produce, cultivate, and sell medical marijuana in Florida opened new medical marijuana dispensary in Miami on Wednesday, April 19. That makes it their fifth location, in addition to dispensaries in Clearwater, Pensacola, Tallahassee, and Tampa.