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Medical Pot Could Be Included In 'Right To Try'

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
WMFE
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

The Florida Senate will again take up a medical marijuana bill today.  It expands the scope of Florida's Right to Try Act, which allows terminally-ill patients to try drugs not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The measure emerged from the rules committee Monday.

If this measure passes, non-smokable marijuana of all strengths and doses would be included in Right to Try."

Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Health has given two nurseries permission to begin growing pot, but an administrative judge could enter the picture.

Two steps forward, one step back has been the routine for medical marijuana so far and last week was no different. 

The dispensing organizations Alpha Surterra and Hackney Nurseries are now both authorized cultivators.  Those nurseries represent the southwest and northwest regions respectively. 

But while they’re getting out of the gate, an administrative ruling could throw the license for the northeast region into doubt.  San Felasco nurseries out-performed other applicants but was disqualified because an employee failed a background check. 

Friday, an administrative judge determined state officials shouldn’t have thrown out San Felasco’s application—potentially adding weight to the nursery’s challenge of existing license holder. 

Nick Evans came to Tallahassee to pursue a masters in communications at Florida State University. He graduated in 2014, but not before picking up an internship at WFSU. While he worked on his degree Nick moved from intern, to part-timer, to full-time reporter. Before moving to Tallahassee, Nick lived in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. He listens to far too many podcasts and is a die-hard 49ers football fan. When Nick’s not at work he likes to cook, play music and read.