James Call
Sen. Jeff Brandes sees an opportunity to expand the low-THC Charlotte’s Web glitch bill now moving through the Legislature.
SPB 7066, up in the Rules Committee Thursday, increases the number of licenses to cultivate medicinal marijuana but restrict the illnesses treated and strains of marijuana doctors are authorized to order for their patients.
Brandes sponsored SB 528, which would leave many of the decisions about the strain of marijuana to use, when to use it and how to use it up to the doctor and patient.
Florida Politics spent five minutes with Brandes after Wednesday’s Senate floor session. He said as SPB 7066 makes it way to the Senate floor it is a work in process. Brandes said everything is on the table, except treating marijuana as a smoking medicine.
Q: Why are you advocating for a marijuana law much broader than what the Legislature appears ready to support?
Brandes: Florida voters voted in what is the ultimate poll. They actually went to the polls and took the temperature of the state of Florida on medical marijuana, and 58 percent said they supported expanding medical marijuana.
That gives me a good reason to look at this legislatively and look at all the 23 other states that have medical marijuana on their books, and try to bring the best of those to Florida so that we can have the discussion inside the Legislature.
Q: Why does it seem that argument isn’t working?
Brandes: I don’t know it doesn’t work. Sen. Bradley has a bill and we’re still in discussion with him; we have been talking consistently with some of the major advocacy groups in the state. I think there are a handful of minor questions that need to be addressed.
But everyone in the Legislature last year who voted for Charlotte’s Web has already declared that medical marijuana is a medicine. That is essentially settled via the governor and Legislature.
So now we’re arguing about the important details. Such as:
- Who cultivates;
- How do you do the retail facilities;
- Do you allow self-grow or do you allow people to provide some means of delivery;
- What is the level of CBD and THC.
Those are the important details of medical marijuana that need to be addressed. As far as medical marijuana being a medicine, it’s settled law.
Q: Will these issues be decided by the session’s end?
Brandes: I think so. I think so. I think there is a lot of desire to address it. I think Sen. Bradley’s bill is going to continue to move through committee and I think you can see it poised for significant movement on some of those major issues.
Q: Your proposal is much more expansive than Sen. Bradley. Do you see an opportunity to have elements of your bill incorporated into Bradley’s SPB 7066?
Brandes: I think some of the ideas that are in my bill are in the discussion with Sen. Bradley. We’re in discussion right now on some of the big ideas in my bill. Such as how do you handle cultivation, do you give licenses, or do you set high standards and essentially make anyone a provider; that’s in discussion. The retail facilities, leaving that to the local level to decide, I think that is important aspect of my bill. The portion of my bill that says you can’t have advertisements for medical marijuana. That’s and important issue I think he can accept into his bill.
I think there are many ideas in my bill that I think he can accept.
And then I think we’re talking about what is the right level of CBD and THC. I think we can get to a reasonable place without a wholesale adoption of my bill, but I think there are substantial portions of my bill that should be law.
Q: The CBD/THC ratio is still in play?
Brandes: I think it is. Absolutely. I don’t think I know it is still in play.
Q: What about the House?
Brandes: I think there is an opportunity to make the House an offer. There is an opportunity to have that discussion with the House and we’ll see how it plays out. Let’s put together what we think is the right policy for the state of Florida and then let the House decide whether they will take that policy up.
Q: Much of your thinking on the policy is that there should be fewer regulations to empower doctors to decide when marijuana should be administered and what the CBD/THC ratio should be. How does Sen. Bradley react to that line of thinking?
Brandes: I think he is generally positive. I think he generally believes that we should let doctors practice medicine. He’s an attorney; we believe that attorneys should practice law. I think that he feels very strongly that’s the right message.
Right now we’re having discussions on pain. That seems to be an important issue. I think the smokable issue is off the table. Every discussion I have been a part of has not included smoking.
Q: That’s the only thing that you have said is off the table – smokables?
Brandes: Correct.
