By Daniel Shortt, Attorney @ Harris Bricken The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (“2018 Farm Bill”) legalized hemp by removing the crop and its derivatives from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) and by providing a detailed framework for the cultivation of hemp. The 2018 Farm Bill gives the US Department […]
Florida
A state long linked to oranges looks to a lucrative future — with hemp
ESTERO, Fla. — The orange trees in the Corkscrew grove still produce fruit, though not nearly as much as they did just a decade ago. Thanks to hurricanes and pathogens, many are damaged and dying. Branches are spindly, leaves curled and yellowing. “There was a time not too long ago that these trees were so […]
Columbia Care Announces Statewide Launch in Florida, the Fastest Growing US Medical Cannabis Market, with Grand Opening of First Dispensary
PRESS RELEASE Global Medical cannabis leader expands dispensary footprint to Gainesville, one of Florida’s most densely populated metropolitan areas and provides update on new cultivation and manufacturing facility Gainesville dispensary to provide differentiated product offering with portfolio of proprietary, GMP manufactured pharmaceutical-quality products and provider-based care and educational model designed to deliver optimal patient journey […]
Smokable medical marijuana bill slated for passage
TALLAHASEE, Fla. (CAPITOL NEWS SERVICE) – Patients could be able to legally smoke medical marijuana by the end of the week. State lawmakers appear to be on track to lift the ban on smokable medical marijuana as early as Wednesday, two days earlier than the Friday deadline set by the Governor. Bill sponsors and advocates […]
MedMen Announces Acquisition of Florida Marijuana License and Cultivation Facility
PRESS RELEASE MedMen to Own One of Thirteen Licenses in Florida, right to open 25 dispensaries Los Angeles – June 6, 2018 – MedMen Enterprises Inc. (CSE: MMEN) (“MedMen”), the country’s leading cultivator, producer and retailer of state-sanctioned cannabis, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement (the “Agreement”) to acquire dispensary and cultivation assets […]
Florida Is In Business: First Medical Marijuana Store To Open Next Week
For parents like Donna Perez of Sebring, the news comes as a relief. Perez’s 3-year-old son, Noah, suffers from intractable epilepsy and severe seizures. She spends all day by Noah’s side taking care of him, making sure he takes six medications every day. Noah still suffers from seizures, Perez said. He can hardly smile anymore. […]
Florida’s First Legal Medical Marijuana Harvest To Begin
TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s first legal harvest of marijuana is stored in multiple vacuum-packed, 441-gram bags in a freezer on the outskirts of Tallahassee. Each is the result of months of careful growing, monitoring, coaxing and cultivating scores of plants in a hidden farm overseen by horticulturalists and protected by armed guards. This is one of […]
Businesses Have Eyes Set On Florida’s Medical Marijuana Bill in November
Rosie Yagielo runs a marijuana business at the southern edge of a state where medical pot isn’t available. Based in a small office in Key Largo, HempStaff doesn’t grow the drug or sell it. Yet it could profit if voters in November approve an amendment to expand the legal uses of medical marijuana. HempStaff is […]
Some 80% of Florida Voters Favor Legalizing Recreational Marijuana
Florida voters overwhelmingly support legalization of medical marijuana, pollsters said Wednesday, and most also favor legalization of recreational pot use. The Quinnipiac University poll found 80 percent of Florida voters said they would vote for a proposed constitutional amendment in November allowing for medical use of marijuana. Just 16 percent said they’d vote no. Support […]
Orlando Reduces Penalties for Possession of Small Amounts of Marijuana
With a 4-3 vote Monday, the Orlando City Council adopted a revised measure that essentially decriminalizes possessing 20 grams or less of marijuana and gives police officers discretion to issue civil citations instead of arresting people. The new measure doesn’t go into effect until later this year on Oct. 1. The measure makes the first-degree […]
Is There Still Hope For Medical Marijuana in Florida?
By Jonathan Gilinski Many Florida cities have passed marijuana decriminalization ordinances within the past several months, including Miami-Dade, West Palm Beach, and Volusia. This means those areas are likely experiencing similar confusion. Yet, while the conflicting laws raise concern, they do not appear to be as problematic as the authority being given to law enforcement officers, […]
Orlando May Be Latest Florida City to Decriminalize Small Amounts of Pot
Orlando could soon become the latest Florida city to effectively decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, allowing police officers to issue citations, rather than make arrests. The City Council on Monday will consider an ordinance that would make possession of 20 grams (about two-thirds of an ounce) or less a violation of city code, carrying a […]
Florida OKs Medical Marijuana for the Terminally Ill
With Floridians poised to vote this fall on broad legalization of medical marijuana, Gov. Rick Scott on Friday signed a bill that will allow terminally ill patients to have access to marijuana as they try to ease suffering. Scott did not issue a comment on the medical-marijuana bill (HB 307), but House sponsor Matt Gaetz, […]
Tampa Council Votes to Decriminalize Small Amounts of Marijuana
The Tampa City Council gave final approval Thursday morning to a new law allowing police to fine rather than arrest people found in possession of small amounts of marijuana. Council members voted 5-1 to adopt the law, which gives police the option to issue a civil citation for possession of up to 20 grams, roughly […]
Florida Senate Passes Expanded Medical Marijuana Bill, Sends It to Governor
The Florida Senate sent Gov. Rick Scott a bill allowing terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana in the last year of their lives, despite arguments that the measure sets up a “state-sanctioned drug cartel” that will enrich five nursery owners. The chairman of a constitutional amendment campaign aimed at letting doctors prescribe marijuana for […]
Sick Children Wait As Florida Nurseries Squabble Over Medical Marijuana
A dozen nurseries are challenging the way Florida awarded licenses to grow and dispense the drug — and asking an administrative law judge to take a second look at the applications that were passed over. The nurseries contend the Florida Department of Health flubbed the selection process and say the challenges are necessary to ensure […]
Florida Nurseries Sue to Stop Growing of Marijuana for Medical Use
In the latest twist in a nearly two-year struggle to offer limited types of medical-marijuana in Florida, three nurseries filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to at least temporarily block competitors from starting to produce the cannabis. The lawsuit filed in Leon Circuit Court, stems from a November decision by the Florida Department of Health to […]
It’s Official: Medical Marijuana Will Be on the Ballot in Florida This November
A proposed constitutional amendment to allow medical use of marijuana will be back on the ballot in November, and organizers said Wednesday that growing public support and a larger voter turnout in a presidential election year should help pass the measure that narrowly failed in 2014. The group organizing a petition drive to put the […]
