FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 7, 2014

 

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PROPOSED RULES FOR LOW-THC CANNABIS PROGRAM

The 16 page draft of administrative rules outline how the DOH intends to implement the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act of 2014.

 

Palm Beach County, Fla. (July 7, 2014) – The Florida Department of Health has released a 16 page draft of rules regarding the new low-THC cannabis program in Florida, also known as The Charlotte’s Web Bill/The Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act 2014. This comes just before today’s Rule Workshop taking place in Tallahassee. The rules outline how the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act will be implemented by the state Department of Health.

 

Florida Marijuana Info.org, Florida’s “hub” of info on marijuana legalization, has released an article detailing the specifics of the 16 page document. Among the proposed drafted rules is one that will allow only 5 selected nurseries to grow, process, and dispense low-THC Cannabis. Should there be more than one company interested in applying to be a nursery in the same region, “a public lottery will be held to determine the order in which applications are considered.” The chosen dispensary then has 30 days to present the $150,000 license fee, as well as a $5 million bond. If the dispensary does not complete these necessary requirements within the allotted 30 days, the next organization that applied will be selected for review.

 

The rules also details how the dispensaries will operate – they must be open at least 30 hours a week, with the hours being between 7am and 10pm. Dispensaries will not be allowed to offer edible products. The Department of Health has the right to refuse to accept or renew a dispensary’s license if they are located within 500 feet of a school that existed before submission of the application. The Department has the right to revoke a dispensary’s license if they do not begin cultivation within 60 days of their approval.  Batches of cannabis that have a higher THC percentage than legally allowed would have to be reported.

 

The rules also outline guidelines for medical marijuana physicians. They plan to create a Compassionate User Registry, which will contain private info on low-THC patients and their doctors. Doctors, as well as the medical directors of the dispensaries, will be allowed access to the registry. Researchers, law enforcers, members of the Department of Health and select dispensary employees will be allowed access upon completion of a course on patient confidentiality.

 

The draft also clarifies which counties fall in to the 5 regions that are set up by the bill. For the full list or to read the full article, visit http://floridamarijuanainfo.org/marijuana-legalization-in-florida/fl-department-of-health-proposed-rules-for-low-thc-cannabis-program/

About floridamarijuanainfo.org
floridamarijuanainfo.org is an unbiased, non-partisan, informational hub designed to give the public free access to incisive, authoritative, thought-provoking and instructional information about ‘all things marijuana’ in Florida.  The organization takes no public stand for or against medical or recreational marijuana usage. Its mission is to provide the most accurate and useful information about marijuana, with a specific focus on Florida.

To learn more, visit www.floridamarijuanainfo.org; facebook.com/FloridaMJInfo and on Twitter @FLMarijuanaInfo.