marijuana growers

An administrative law judge rules that the Pigford license earmarked for Moton Hopkins should not go to his heirs and partners because they are not members of a "recognized class."

State health officials deemed the application submitted by Moton Hopkins and Hatchett Creek Farms, of which he owned 51 percent, to be the cream of the crop, but after he died decided to award the license to someone else.

Christopher Kimball steps into the post as the state’s medical marijuana industry could be poised to double in size and as challenges pile up over the decision to award a sought-after license to a Black farmer.

The state Department of Health issued an “intent to approve” for Terry Donnell Gwinn, who vied with 11 others for the opportunity to join the growing medical marijuana industry.

The health department issues a “written notice of intent” for Terry Donnell Gwinn of Suwannee County, beating out 11 other applicants competing for a license earmarked for a Black farmer, a 2017 requirement from the “Pigford” lawsuits.

The proposal would allow would allow people 21 or older to grow and use marijuana, with a cap of 18 plants per household.

The state will kick off the rulemaking process for Black farmer applicants within “weeks to months” and set the stage for another set of licenses that would nearly double the number of operators.

The Florida Supreme Court made the unusual move of hearing more arguments in a challenge to a law aimed at implementing a constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana.

An orchid grower and investors spent nearly $800,000 to purchase property in Pinellas County they believed would give them a leg up in obtaining a...