In the 72 hours that have elapsed after the Florida Legislature relegated CS/CS/HB 1397 to the graveyard, much as occurred. Stories of Capital intrigue have abounded, complete with what Sunshine State News has called a “very public breakup” of attorney John Morgan and activist Ben Pollara. The “circle of finger pointing” is in full swing….
Tonight the Florida Senate adjourned, and with them left any hopes of the passage of legislation that would have created the most restricted medical marijuana program in the United States. CS/CS/HB 1397 would have mandated women submit to pregnancy tests, DOH inspection of medical records, and a governmental overreach into the doctor/patient relationship with the…
Yesterday, May 2nd, the Florida House of Representatives advanced HB1397. Panned by patient advocates nationwide, this proposed legislation thwarts the will of the people by creating layers of bureaucratic oversight of the mandated expansion of the state’s medical cannabis program. Nine representatives voted “no” on the measure, but one dissenting vote was curious. Representative Julio…
When Patrick DeLuca and I conceptualized the idea of beginning a first-of-its-kind cannabis practice in Florida back in November 2016, we knew it wouldn’t be an easy task. The legal hoops we had to jump through our first few months were both maddeningly complex and ridiculously expensive. No matter how unnecessarily difficult our area of…
In this Florida fight for expanded patient access to medical cannabis, I’ve become pretty intimate with the digestive process of the state legislature. My day routinely consists of checking the Florida Senate and House websites, reading bills and their amendments, checking blogs and watching video. Patient advocacy is something we take very seriously. In order…
As the final day of the Florida legislature’s 2017 session inches ever closer (May 5), both the House and Senate are advancing bills that would reshape the medical cannabis program statewide. It is of utmost importance that lawmakers craft a program that is geared the interest of the patient; one that allows doctors to qualify…
On March 14 and 15th, Dr. Gordon traveled to the Florida State Capital in Tallahassee. The goal was to meet with as many legislators as possible to lobby on behalf of our patients for a fair medical cannabis program. He was able to meet with a few dozen decision makers, and learned quickly that your…
One of the most often repeated questions within our clinic is “what about my concealed carry and getting my medical marijuana card?” A simple Google search will turn up enough articles to sufficiently scare any gun owner or CCW licensee. But what is the straight truth? I’ve done some comprehensive digging to find some solid…
Since opening our practice, we’ve told every patient we’ve seen that we’d provide them with timely updates as they occurred with respect to Florida’s medical marijuana program. Today, without any fanfare, something big happened. Anyone familiar with text of Amendment 2 and the state’s expanded cannabis program can tell you that implementation hinged on the creation of…
