Jim Rosica
Three state government officials have been tapped for a second job – to sit as the panel that will dole out the licenses for low-THC marijuana in Florida.
The Florida Department of Health on Friday announced the membership of the Office of Compassionate Use “substantive review panel” that will implement the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act.
The members are:
- Christian Bax, Director of the Office of Compassionate Use
- Patricia Nelson, Special Advisor at the Executive Office of the Governor and Member of the Statewide Drug Policy Advisory Council
- Ann Filloon, Fiscal Unit Director with the Division of Children’s Medical Services of the Florida Department of Health and a Certified Public Accountant
The department said the panel “will conduct a comprehensive review of all applications.”
Florida legalized low-THC, or “non-euphoric,” marijuana to help children with severe muscle spasms and seizures.
The best-known non-euphoric strain of marijuana is called “Charlotte’s Web.”
Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have decriminalized medical marijuana under state law, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
But selling marijuana is still a federal crime.
The Obama administration, however, has suggested that federal prosecutors not charge those, particularly “the seriously ill and their caregivers,” who distribute and use medical marijuana under a state law.
