Phil Ammann
To bring much-needed pain relief to Floridians who suffer from a variety of ailments, medical marijuana supporters must first navigate a “snake pit” of state politics, according to Bill Day‘s latest editorial cartoon.
Let’s hope Florida residents will not be the ones to get bit.
The Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act, signed by Gov. Rick Scott in June, calls for the creation of a state framework to provide medically needy patients with a strain of marijuana — known as Charlotte’s Web. Extract of Charlotte’s Web is both high in cannabidiol, or CBD, and low in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the ingredient that produces a high.
The strain of medical marijuana, supporters say, reduces seizures in children suffering from a rare form of epilepsy.
Nearly a year later, through legal wrangling, political conflict and rule-making moving at a snail’s pace, epileptic children yet to have access to the medicinal cannabis extract that can calm potentially fatal seizures.
Adding to the woes this week are legal challenges filed over the Florida Department of Health rules coming out of a negotiated and protracted rule-making process.
As reported on Florida Politics Wednesday, attorneys for both the Medical Cannabis Trade Association, a Delaware corporation, and Masters Growers of Sanford argue the state’s suggested process of awarding licenses — a lottery — and the requirements necessary for supplying medical marijuana to qualified patients. Both groups call the rules overly broad, arbitrary and unreliable.
Back in Day’s political snake pit, state lawmakers have stepped in to attempt to untangle the mess that is now the Charlotte’s Web law. Sen. Rob Bradley, an Orange Park Republican, filed a measure aimed at removing the obstacles, and the Senate Regulated Industries Committee took up the matter this week. Bradley was one of the names behind last year’s Senate Bill 1030, the heart of the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act.
Snakes are nothing if not unpredictable, so whether Tallahassee can hammer out a solution remains to be seen. Meanwhile, thousands of Floridians anxiously wait for relief from pain.
They may have to wait a little while longer.
One comment
Warren
April 12, 2015 at 12:31 pm
I recently heard Sen. Gaetz state that the problems with the Charlotte’s Web bill being stalled is “greed”; however, I think it is much simpler than that and a rudimentary understanding of economics would make that clear to our legislators. It is, in fact, pure market dynamics that determine competitive means.
There are three basic market structures: a free market, a black market, and a regulated market. Free markets compete on the basis of price and quality because they must appeal to their consumer’s preferences and choices. Simply put, they must earn business. A black market, being limited by legal constraints and high-levels of risk in supplying a good, operates most generally on intimidation and violence due to the marginalization of available suppliers inherent to black markets.
Competition in regulated markets is done in two primary places: courts and legislatures. Seeing that there is significant profits to be had in a heavily regulated market (due to near monopoly pricing and reduced competition) and the strong future prospects of legalized medicinal marijuana, it should come as no surprise that potential suppliers that have been excluded from the Charlotte’s Web market are fighting to get in. If they are excluded now, they will likely be forever and they will also probably be left out of the cash crop of tomorrow (medical marijuana). To think it is mere greed is naïve or misleading. Furthermore, perhaps we should be wondering what kind of legislative greed inspired the producers to be constrained to just a few.
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