Florida expands access to medical cannabis for its patients

Patients in Florida will soon have greater access to non-smokable medical cannabis to treat their conditions.

On Friday, the Florida House of Representatives passed the second medical cannabis bill in three years, by a vote of 99 to 16. The bill expands the conditions and regulations governing the use of medical cannabis for terminally ill patients, as well as for dispensaries, patients, and doctors covered by the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act of 2014.

From now on, terminally ill patients will have access to cannabis without restrictions on potency or dosage. Certain strains with excessively high THC levels were prohibited under the previous law, and patients were limited in the amount they could receive.

In Florida, authorities have been slow to issue licenses to dispensaries and other patient-assistance organizations. Only five facilities were authorized in November to grow cannabis. There have also been numerous administrative challenges for businesses and for families with children who have epilepsy. Three more licenses are expected to be issued once the patient registry reaches 250,000 members.

These dispensaries specialize in growing strains with a high concentration of cannabidiol (CBD) and low in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is the plant’s psychoactive compound, whereas CBD does not produce a ’high.” Current research shows that CBD is primarily responsible for the beneficial effects of cannabis for patients. THC, on the other hand, is very useful for treating certain symptoms and enhances the effect of CBD in what is known as the’entourage effect.

Cannabis strains with high CBD content are often used to prevent seizures in children with epilepsy.

The next step for Florida: the November elections, where an amendment to the Florida Constitution could legalize medical cannabis if the measure receives more than 60% votes in its favor.