Contact: David Black
Last night the Florida Right to Medical Marijuana Initiative, Amendment 2, received 71 percent approval, far more than the 60 percent required for passage. The passage of Amendment 2 will expand the marijuana industry in Florida – currently dominated by the 2014 Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act, commonly known as Florida’s “Charlotte’s Web” law – opening the floodgates to what is expected to be a lucrative $1.5 billion industry by 2020.
Amendment 2 dictates that the Department of Health promulgates reasonable regulations for the implementation and enforcement of the Amendment within six months. Those regulations must provide for the registration of Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers (“MMTCs”), including procedures for the issuance, renewal, suspension and revocation of registration, as well as standards to ensure proper security, record keeping, testing, labeling, inspection, and safety. Amendment 2 also dictates that the Department of Health begins issuing qualifying patient and caregiver identification cards, and registering MMTCs within nine months.
