On July 9, 2019, Tallahassee’s 1st District Court of Appeal ruled the vertical integration system, required by Governor Rick Scott’s Department of Health for all Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers, to be unconstitutional.
For businesses seeking a license to distribute medical marijuana, the old rules required those businesses to be organizations that handled every step in the process of distributing medical marijuana from the beginning of production to making the sale. The steps included the facility’s ability to acquire, cultivate, possess, process, transfer, transport, sell, distribute, dispense, and administer marijuana products containing marijuana along with any related marijuana supplies or educational materials.
That’s a pretty daunting list of requirements for any business to handle. The result was highly expensive medical marijuana and very few businesses qualifying for a license to actually distribute it. In fact, just six big businesses held 120 of the 142 dispensaries in all of Florida.
No other business could even be involved, indirectly, in the process of bringing the products to market, and everyone who did qualify had to also take care of everything on the list.
The court called the regulations inconsistent with Amendment 2, the Florida ballot proposal that essentially legalized medical marijuana.
GOODBYE ONE-MAN BAND
Thankfully, now organizations like ours no longer have to refer patients to places that are growing, harvesting, cleaning, and then packaging their own marijuana for sale. The clinics we refer to can use any number of distributors and producers to bring you more high-quality medical marijuana.
This means, by and large, that the high prices of medical marijuana should start to come down as more and more distributors and products become available.
It also means you’ll have access to far more types of medical marijuana products, including low THC varieties and non-smokable alternatives. Edible varieties and various strains from different producers can also be packaged and combined under the same roof, without the worry of violating the licensing regulations.
As Florida’s leading provider of medical marijuana recommendations, Marijuana Doctor has helped countless Florida patients find relief from ailments and illnesses. The current ruling means that we can make better referrals for our patients, not just to the dispensaries, but also to the doctors working closest with them — doctors who understand the nature and varieties of marijuana strains that are available through their facility.
CAPS OFF
The same appeal also lifts the cap on the number of state licenses available. The result being far more businesses obtaining medical marijuana licenses. This creates competition among said businesses in the industry which in turn reflects a vast improvement on prices and availability of medical marijuana — a definite win for medical marijuana patients.
Since 2017, Florida residents have been able to obtain a medical recommendation for the treatment of certain qualifying conditions. But many have found the very limited number of dispensaries to be expensive. Others are unsure of the quality and variety of products these dispensaries are selling. It’s even led some patients to resort to illegal and street-grade marijuana because it’s of higher quality and can be obtained at a lower price.
Marijuana Doctor’s board-certified physicians evaluate patients to determine if they might benefit from the medical marijuana card. Once a patient receives the recommendation, we have staff on hand to assist the patient throughout the entire registration process, from registering with the Florida Department of Health to locating the medical marijuana treatment centers in the patient’s area.
Marijuana Doctor is happy to help you navigate through the process specific to your own medical case and history. This process is risk-free with a 100 percent money-back guarantee. If you don’t qualify, you won’t pay for any of it.
Contact us to see if you qualify for a Florida medical marijuana card, or even better, go online to schedule an appointment with us today.
