Medical Marijuana

Green Thumb Industries, which wants to sell cannabis next to convenience stores in Florida, has filed an appeal after an administrative law judge ruled against it, siding with state health regulators.

Florida marijuana regulators rejected rejected Green Thumb Industries' requests to open dispensaries near or adjacent to the stores. An administrative law judge just ruled in favor of the denial.

Stephon Ford, the stopped driver, argued the dog could not differentiate between illegal marijuana and medical marijuana or hemp. The appeals court backed Ford’s argument.

Rep. Mitch Rosenwald, D-Oakland Park, filed the proposal (HB 83) that seeks to protect government employees and job applicants who legally use medical marijuana.

The state Department of Health’s website identified a list of 22 applicants that received “letters of intent to approve” medical-marijuana licenses. The selection comes more than 18 months after the application period for the licenses closed in April 2023.

It could strengthen the industry as it struggles to compete with hemp-based products sold at gas stations, CBD shops and online at a fraction of the cost.

This election Florida voters will decide whether marijuana should be available to millions more, allowing anyone age 21 or older to get and use marijuana without a prescription.

With recreational pot legal, patients will eventually need to decide if they want to keep their card, which costs $75 a year and requires doctor's visits every seven months costing between $350 and $600 a year.

Medical marijuana patients and advocates are upset that the Florida Department of Health emailed its patient registry to praise Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis for signing the state budget. Democratic Rep. Kelly Skidmore said using the patient list to promote policy is a revolting misuse of power.

Florida lawmakers for the second year in a row have approved proposals to expand the number of Black farmers eligible for medical-marijuana licenses, opening the door for three farmers who did not meet muster during a 2022 application period.

Executive director Shamarial Roberson, an epidemiologist, says the association will advocate for “research and advancement” for medical marijuana.

State Office of Medical Marijuana Use Director Christopher Kimball offered the tentative timeline after giving a presentation about the medical marijuana program to a House panel.