Medical Marijuana in Florida

In the recent election on November 8th, Florida voters overwhelmingly decided to approve the legalization of medical marijuana. This marks a big change in Florida’s current marijuana laws. If you have questions about the new law or are charged with a drug crime, you should contact a skilled drug crimes attorney.

The Law

Florida’s new medical marijuana law will go into effect in January and will allow people with certain debilitating illness to legally access marijuana, though many pieces of the specific law are yet to be figured out. Florida is the 26th state in the United States to legalize medical marijuana. The News-Press estimates that 450,000 Floridians will be eligible to be part of the medical marijuana program.

The law that passed is a constitutional amendment, so it may take some time before the program can be implemented. The Florida legislature will be responsible for drafting specific regulations and legislation to implement the program in the state. However, there are already some aspects of the program that are known, such as that patients must have had a relationship with their prescribing doctor for at least 90 days before a prescription can be written.

History

Before this recent amendment was voted on, Florida had recently begun allowing some high CBD, low THC marijuana to be legally dispensed to people who had certain conditions and those who suffered from seizures. Only terminally ill patients had access to full strength marijuana. THC is the chemical that makes people feel “high”, while CBD is more focused on reducing pain. Medical marijuana advocates say that both THC and CBD contribute to the pain relief and other symptom management that medical marijuana can provide.

Opponents

Even though the amendment passed with approximately 70% approval, there are many opponents to this proposal and they will likely try to put harsh restrictions on the implementation of the medical marijuana program. They may try to limit the list of conditions that allow someone to qualify for medical marijuana and they also could try to severely limit where dispensaries can be located. Another strategy will be to lobby for a ban on marijuana candy and to also still limit the amount of THC that can be in the marijuana.

Supply

Now, one of the big focuses is also on how the marijuana will be supplied and Florida has started to approve businesses that focus on growing and harvesting marijuana.

Let Us Help You with Your Drug Charges

Though medical marijuana will soon become legal in Florida, it is still illegal to possess marijuana and it will still be illegal to possess marijuana outside of the lawful medical marijuana program. If you are charged with a drug crime, you may face severe penalties. Contact our experienced drug crimes attorneys at The Skier Law Firm in West Palm Beach, Florida today.

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