A new bill filed Wednesday has the potential to completely revamp Florida’s medical marijuana system – and remove caps on the number of growers.
St. Petersburg Republican Jeff Brandes filed the bill to implement Amendment 2, the medical marijuana amendment approved overwhelmingly by voters last November.
The bill, which you can read here, would throw out Florida’s current medical marijuana program. Florida’s existing medical marijuana program is vertically integrated: nurseries grow, process, sell and deliver medical cannabis. Florida has two programs for medical marijuana: A low-THC marijuana program for conditions like epilepsy, and full-strength marijuana for the terminally ill.
There are currently just seven license holders in Florida, which Brandes calls a “state sanctioned cartel” that limits competition and results in higher prices.
