Posted on 03/14/2019 10:54:31 AM PDT by NobleFree
TALLAHASSEE - Without much debate and two days before Gov. Ron DeSantis’ deadline, a bill to repeal a ban on smoking medical marijuana has finally rolled onto the governor’s desk.
The Florida House affirmed the right to smoke medical pot Wednesday afternoon, approving the Senate bill to include “smoking” to the language in the medical marijuana constitutional amendment. The bill allows patients to receive up to 2.5 ounces of whole flower cannabis every 35 days as recommended by their qualified doctor.
The bill passed 101-11. Seven representatives were not present for the vote.
DeSantis in January tasked the Legislature with amending Florida law to allow smoking medical marijuana. If legislators didn’t by the March 15 deadline he set, the governor said he would do so with litigation.
House Speaker José Oliva has openly criticized smoking medicinal marijuana as an option, saying efforts to legalize it are just “some cover” for getting access to recreational marijuana.
“I’ve been in the smoke business my entire life and I’ve never heard anyone say it’s good for you,” the Miami Lakes Republican and cigar company CEO said then.
On Wednesday, Oliva told reporters that he had reservations then and still has them now.
“This is a difficult issue ... This is the best that we could do and still remain responsible,” he said. “I would certainly have been interested to hear what would have come of that appeal. We might still. But I think that the most important thing was that the elected lawmakers of the state have an opportunity to legislate how this will be governed in our state.”
In 2016, about 71 percent of voting Floridians approved a constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana. While the 2017 bill signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott legalized access to the drug in pill, oil, edible and vape form, it made smoking it illegal.
The provision, which became known as the “smoking ban,” was challenged in circuit court in July 2017. In May 2018, Leon County Circuit Judge Karen Gievers ruled the smoking ban to be unconstitutional, but the Department of Health appealed the ruling. After DeSantis announced his intent to drop the appeal, both parties filed a motion to stay the appeal until this month.
In addition to repealing the ban on smoking, the bill passed Wednesday also establishes a Medical Marijuana Research and Education Board. The board will oversee a research consortium established by the state university system’s Board of Governors, which will receive $1.5 million for the program. Instead of only including the University of Florida as the previous law did, all universities can apply to participate. House bill sponsor Rep. Ray Rodrigues said expanding the research is something that “we would be benefited from.”
The bill also requires a second opinion from a board-certified pediatrician for non-terminal patients under age 18.
“While there’s not a lot of science out there currently on the effects of medical marijuana there’s a body of science on the effects of medical marijuana to the developing brain,” Rodrigues said. “But with children who have a terminal illness, long-term concerns are secondary to the short-term concerns.”
It deletes a provision that prohibits a medical marijuana treatment center from selling products like pipes, bongs or rolling papers. Another amendment passed to allow patients to buy those products at third-party locations if they are using marijuana for medical use. The bill only addresses the repeal of the smoking ban and does not address the current integration structure surrounding medical marijuana treatment centers nor does it address provisions like drug-free workplace protections.
If the chamber didn’t pass a bill to repeal a ban on smoking marijuana, the ban would be dissolved via litigation.
Rodrigues, chair of the chamber’s Health & Human Services Committee, said without a bill, no “guardrails” would exist to protect patients through rule-making like second opinions for minors and limits on recommended doses from certified physicians.
“It is upon [doctors] to do their jobs, to treat this as medicine and be diligent about how they’re recommending it to their patients,” said Rodrigues, R-Estero. “We’ll be watching and we’ll be hopeful that the best will occur. If the best does not occur, this subject will be revisited in the future.”
DeSantis has two days to review the bill before his own deadline to enact a law.
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a former marijuana lobbyist who campaigned on the promise of expanded access to the medicine, said the legislation was needed.
“Today’s action to finally allow smokable medical marijuana brings four words to the lips of people across our state: ‘It’s about damn time,’ ” Fried said. “I’m thankful for the House and Senate’s work to fix this situation.”
Just legalize the stuff. Making pot illegal is pointless.
“It is upon [doctors] to do their jobs, to treat this as medicine and be diligent about how they’re recommending it to their patients,” said Rodrigues, R-Estero. “We’ll be watching and we’ll be hopeful that the best will occur. If the best does not occur, this subject will be revisited in the future.”
...
The best won’t occur just like people abuse the medical exception for companion animals.
Follow the money. It's all about revenue. And power.
I suffer like nobody’s business with muscle spasms, internal tremors, stabbing pains in head, arms, heck, wherever an injured brain decides you should hurt that day.
The head injury is old, over 10 years, and thank God I didn’t die from it and the unbearable symptoms went away.
But just because they’re bearable doesn’t make them fun!
I take CBD oil and as with EVERYTHING I take, it seem,s it worked great the first two weeks and that was it.
We’re not asking for oxys or roxys or percs, but give us a fighting chance with medical marijuana.
Thank You NobleFree
Please let us know if it works, or if it helps.
It’s all Bull crap to excuse drug abuse. If it was truly medical the last thing a real doctor would have you do is smoke it.
Learned a life lesson long ago; If you find yourself justifying your actions, you know you are wrong.
These politicians do not give a damn about their constituents, they are buying votes for drugs and salvating over tapping into the drug trade money stream.
Potheads are easy to control, they wear a THC slave collar already. Evil politicians love the drug trade, it’s easy power and money all in one neat package.
And, it depopulates as a bonus.
Hey that’s nice. Thanks :)
There are 10s of THOUSANDS of brain injured vets in much worse shape than me and if it gives them ANY relief, docs should be able to prescribe it.
I’m not smart enough to know if it should be legal for recreational purposes. I’ll leave that to better minds than mine.
But for relief, yes. A lot better than taking Roxy’s!!
Which go for up to 40 a pill on the street.
A 5 dollar co pay script can make you 5000 on the streets.
THIS!
The National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine begs to differ: "Until a nonsmoked rapid-onset cannabinoid drug delivery system becomes available, we acknowledge that there is no clear alternative for people suffering from chronic conditions that might be relieved by smoking marijuana, such as pain or AIDS wasting." - Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base (1999)
The pot legalization movement continues. It is almost as dangerous as alcohol and shouldn’t be legal except that enforcement against it won’t work just as it didn’t work against alcohol.
Tobacco shouldn’t be legal either but the same problem would apply there if prohibition was attempted.
Ditto for alkies - should we therefore ban alcohol?
CBD oil is fine, but as you said it onlybwouked for a while like all other pharma. Pharma is all about SYMPTOMATIC relief, that is where the money is at.
However, if you have brain or nerve injury what you actually need is nerve repair. Lucky for you that can be found in Lyons Mane mushrooms. Either eat them, (gourmet food, expensive) or obtain a quality tincture.
It will actually help in the long term by repairing/regrowing the nerves them selves.
Look into it.
Well I hope the also voted to increase their mental health spending, for the increase in drug induced schizophrenia and dementia that is going to spike...
So tired of hearing this crap is harmless by morons.
Yes, most people use it no problem, but if you happen to lose the genetic lottery, even a single use can induce a lifetime of mental illness.... SO SO SICK of the lies by folks around this drug.
You are right about the politicians, once they are on a tax gravy train they are never getting off.
However, my wife’s “real” doctor, (primary physician for years) did prescribe pot for her, saying it was less dangerous than the Celebrex she also prescribed for arthritis, and to avoid the Celebrex unless it was a really bad day.
Hey thanks!
The toughest part is to get the nerves causing pain or tremors to stop doing that.
Some folks think they already repaired as much as they can but repaired wrongly and thus I’m screwed.
But you can bet that within 5 minutes from now I will be having delivered to my house what you suggested.
Using your thinking means peanuts should be illegal too.
One mistake and you are dead if you “lost life’s lottery”.
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