Tallahassee – The implementation of the Constitutional amendment passed by Florida voters in November is moving rapidly.  The Office of Compassionate Use (part of the Florida Department of Health) published a notice of Rule Development on January 17, 2017.  The proposed rule expands the Office of Compassionate Use’s (OCU) regulation of the compassionate use registry and licensing of Florida businesses that cultivate, process, and dispense medical cannabis to qualified patients.  Read the proposed rules.

Some of the highlights include:

• Debilitating medical condition (qualifying for a cannabis prescription) includes: “conditions eligible for physician ordering contained in s. 381.986(2), F.S., or cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis.  This list may be expanded to include “any debilitating medical conditions of the same kind or class as or comparable to those enumerated, as determined by the Florida Board of Medicine.”
• There will be a 45 day cannabis supply limit.
• Everyone must be registered in the Compassionate Use Registry (doctors, patients and caregivers and medical marijuana treatment centers).
• Security, product testing, labeling, inspection and safety standards are forthcoming, as outlined in Florida Statutes 381.986
• Any caregivers will be a legal representative as defined by s. 381.986(1)(d), F.S., who is at least twenty-one (21) years old and has successfully passed a Level 1 background screening as defined in s. 435.03, F.S.

For those in Tampa, participate in the rulemaking by attending a public meeting: February 8, 2017, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., at the Florida Department of Health, Tampa Branch Laboratory, 3602 Spectrum Blvd., Tampa, FL 33612.

Follow this blog to stay up to date with developments on medical marijuana in Florida.