Staff Reports
As expected, Gov. Rick Scott‘s office on Friday announced he had signed into law two closely-watched medical marijuana bills.
Scott approved both the bill (SB 8-A) that implements the state’s medical marijuana constitutional amendment, passed by voters last year, and a companion measure (SB 6-A) that exempts caregivers’ personal information from public disclosure.
With Scott’s signature, the 78-page bill is effective immediately. That means personal-injury attorney John Morgan, who backed the constitutional amendment, could file suit as early as next week. He has said he will sue because lawmakers would not allow medical marijuana to be smoked.
“I’ll be filing my lawsuit for smoke as soon as it goes into law,” Morgan tweeted on Wednesday. Vaping and edibles are acceptable under the measure, however.
On Friday night, Morgan followed up, also on Twitter: “Thank you @FLGovScott for doing your part! I’ll be in Tally soon to file my suit. #NoSmokeIsAJoke.”
“We don’t believe you smoke medicine,” House Republican Leader Ray Rodrigues said earlier this month. “We believe that smoking causes as much harm as the benefits, particularly when we’re offering vaping, which provides all of the benefits and none of the harm.”
The legislation also grandfathers in seven existing providers, now called medical marijuana treatment centers (MMTCs), with ten more online by October to serve those with qualifying medical conditions.
Until 2020, when these limits sunset, here are the rules: With each additional 100,000 patients, four more MMTCs will be added. Each MMTC will be allowed 25 retail shops, capped at a regional level. MMTCs can add five more for each 100,000 new patients.
The bill allows for caretaker certification, and makes the cannabis and attendant paraphernalia tax-exempt—a key consideration for the Florida House.
The bills, sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Rob Bradley and Sen. Dana Young, were definitely going to be signed; Scott had confirmed as much to news media.
9 comments
Jan Graskewicz
June 23, 2017 at 6:55 pm
Repeat the sentence where vaping provides all the benefits without the harm of smoking, please. I vape and have said this for four years. Vaping a clean product without chemicals is a fantastic idea. But who will be the manufacturer of the vape oil. Other than PG and VG, any other chemical will be dangerous. Especially children and elderly. Allowing tobacco or pharmaceutical companies to manufacture the vape product is giving permission to addiction and murder.
Sean Laflash
June 23, 2017 at 9:35 pm
You can vape loose leaf…
Einstein
June 23, 2017 at 9:39 pm
I do believe that vapor is superior to smoking, though I do believe patients should have the freedom of choice. The plant has not been studied enough to ban smoking. Shame on the lawmakers. Importantly, patients have every right to use whatever vaporization apparatus they see fit, and should not be confined to the untamperable vape pens. They should be able to choose between a volcano and ezvape etc. The vape pens are notorious for poor temperature control and combusting the plant. Most people who claim smoking is better. Do not have the know how or skill set to vape. Vaping is an art form. An art form you can’t expect everyone to have.
Travis
June 23, 2017 at 11:47 pm
There is undisputed evidence of the medicinal benefits of cannabis. Vaporizing is marginally healthier than smoking cannabis plant matter through a piece with proper diffusion and purculation. The ignorance of this plant in Florida isn’t surprising, but vastly apparent.
Proof is in the data and not in your beliefs. Follow the stories of patients in states that have actually CARED about their citizen’s health, well being, and quality of life. Florida is still in the stone age and Rick Scott is a motherfucker.
Michael J Chavez
June 24, 2017 at 12:18 pm
SO ! like DC where it is legal but you can’t By it or sell it – & now FL -passed it but you can’t Smoke it-!!!!! ……” Who is on Drugs here ” ??!!
jacob
June 25, 2017 at 3:17 pm
Will they accept out of state patients?
MD
June 25, 2017 at 5:04 pm
It’s time to legalize it completely and take it out of the politicians and police’s hands
Christopher M. Kennard
June 26, 2017 at 12:15 pm
FLORIDIANS FOR FREEDOM (FFF) is a statewide non-partisan volunteer citizen’s advocacy movement, formed in 2015, to follow the path of the ballot initiative petition to create citizen sponsored law to be approved by voters.
Private citizens like you and me in the State of Florida can propose new state constitutional law by a written petition. This petition is to be signed by other registered state voters.
Nearly 800.000 signed petitions are needed whose signatures can verified by the State of Florida to place this new law on the ballot for the next election. Florida voters then can vote to approve our own citizen-created law, the “RIGHT OF ADULTS TO CANNABIS” [Serial # 15-20]
RIGHT OF ADULTS TO CANNABIS [Serial # 15-20] is our state constitutional ballot initiative proposal for all Florida voters to consider approving in the next statewide elections at the voting polls on November 6, 2018. Two months later, the provision for personal use of cannabis under this law is “self-actuating.”
As of January 8, 2019, this provision is fully effective. You would legally be able to plant your cannabis seed in your own backyard vegetable or herb garden.
This law “legalizes” plants of the genus Cannabis, as well as to provide the fundamental legal right of adults over the age of twenty-one to possess, use and grow your own cannabis, whether for medicinal purposes or for personal use, to relax and enjoy, on private property, in the privacy of your own home, or even a neighbor’s house down the street.
Commercial cannabis businesses will fall under state regulation and policies, just like any other business would.
We are organizing volunteer teams in each county to collect registered voter signed petitions over the next six months or so. Currently, we have 10,000 verified signatures and approximately 1,000 more petitions to file in various counties.
Floridians For Freedom (FFF) groups can be found on Face book by typing in your county’s name, followed by Floridians For Freedom. (Example: Alachua Floridians For Freedom is how you might contact me to pick-up signed petitions or to arrange for people to go together to a local public event to collect petitions.
Join us! Go to FloridiansForFreedom.com to print out and read a petition.
If you really like what you see, please print out two more; sign one copy and pass the other two to other registered Florida voters you may know, friends, family, neighbors . . . whoever may sign one. Ask them to follow your path of making three copies, signing one, passing the other two along to other voters to sign.
If everyone were to do so, then we can secure the nearly 800,000 signed petitions needed to vote next year to approve our RIGHT OF ADULTS TO CANNABIS in 2018. Please give us a helping hand.
Chris Kennard North Central Florida FFF Volunteer Coordinator (352) 375-0375
Ray
June 27, 2017 at 9:10 am
The whole process is flawed where is the free enterprise, why protect a few producers/growers citizens should have options to grow I prefer to know where and how plant is grown and how the flower is processed.
Bill should allow vaping and smoking of flower. Processes are interested in one thing and that is results I don’t trust big agra, big pharma or big gov to care about me or you.
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