Fla. Legalizes Medical Marijuana Today - Update from FloridaMarijuanaInfo.org
Palm Beach County, FL (PRWEB) June 16, 2014 -- Florida has become the 22nd state in the nation (23rd to legalize, including Washington, D.C.) to pass legislation supporting the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Governor Rick Scott signed Senate Bill 1030 (the "Charlotte's Web" bill) today, with overwhelming support of Florida citizens and the Florida legislature. The bill passed 111-7 in the House and 30-9 in the Senate.
"This is definitely a major step in furthering medical marijuana usage in our state," said David Cohn, Editor-In-Chief of FloridaMarijuanaInfo.org. "But it's important our citizens clearly understand what this bill means to people suffering from debilitating diseases, and the pros and the cons associated with it."
OVERVIEW on FloridaMarijuanaInfo.org
FloridaMarijuanaInfo.org is an unbiased, non-partisan, informational hub launched in 2013 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.
ABOUT SB 1030
In its most simple form, SB1030 decriminalizes a medical professionals' recommendation and patient's use of a particular strain of a low-THC cannibis for specific medicinal purposes. It means a doctor can 'order' the usage of a certain strain of cannabis for treatment of specific ailments as outlined in the bill. These ailments include cancer, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, other physical medical conditions that chronically produce symptoms of seizures or severe and persistent muscle spasms, and its original intended purpose - pediatric epilepsy (the strain named 'Charlotte's Web' after Charlotte Figi, a five-year old who experienced a reduction of seizures after taking the drug.)
The physicians must be appropriately licensed and patients must be Florida residents. The physician must add the patient to the newly formed "compassionate use registry."
It allows for five (5) companies to be licensed to cultivate, process and dispense the approved strain in an oil format. These companies would be based in four corners of the state, and one in the center of the state.
It does not allow a smokable form of marijuana; only the oil form is included in the legislation.
PROS
1. Florida is on the forefront of this issue, and it is setting a precedent for other Southern states, which traditionally may not support what is perceived as a 'blue state' issue. Florida has been bi-partisan in this initiative, and that is definitely a positive.
2. The bill opens the doors for doctors to recommend an effective treatment program for their patients that, according to a number of studies, can be cost effective; has fewer side effects; and strong healing possibilities.
3. The bill allows for our state universities with agricultural and medical programs to conduct research to develop new forms of treatment; a great opportunity for medical advancement to take place in Florida.
CONS
1. The Bill creates a monopoly in the hands of five businesses, severely limiting competition and free enterprise. More research and public inquisition needs to be done to determine exactly who these five companies are, what criteria is being used to select them, how they will be regulated, and to whom they report.
2. While the last minute expansion of the Bill allows for additional ailments to be covered, there are still hundreds of thousands of Floridians who will not be covered under the legislation, such as those with HIV/Aids, Alzheimer's, dementia, mental disabilities (Post-traumatic stress disorder) and others.
3. The bill only allocates $1 Million to oversee the entire "cannabis" program; leaving room for potential corruption and mismanagement.
"We are following this story intensely," said Cohn, "and we have outlined some items we believe the public should be aware of. As we get closer to the November 2 ballot initiative, we will be commenting on how the legalization of marijuana for medical use will impact the state of Florida; including Florida's economy, health-care system, the travel industry, etc."
The FloridaMarijuanaInfo.org mission to provide the most accurate and useful information about marijuana, with a specific focus on Florida. The group strongly encourages the public to interact with their online community through the forum, comments sections, and blog.
FloridaMarijuanaInfo.org believes that "knowledge is power." Our dedication to providing the most up-to-date information regarding the latest news, opinions, reports, legal updates and analysis, and cutting-edge scientific research to the Florida community is our only goal.
To learn more, visit http://www.FloridaMarijuanaInfo.org; facebook.com/FloridaMJInfo and on Twitter @FLMarijuanaInfo.
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Julie Mullen, The Buzz Agency, http://www.thebuzzagency.net, +1 (855) 525-2899, [email protected]
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