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The Florida Department of Health works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county, and community efforts.
OMMU Weekly Update
March 02, 2018
Contact:
Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU)
medicalmarijuanause@flhealth.gov
tel: (850) 245-4657 open weekdays,
8am-5pm (excluding state holidays)
OMMU WEEKLY UPDATE
The Florida Department of Health’s (DOH) continues to focus on the health and safety of Florida’s families and is dedicated to ensuring patients have safe access to low-THC cannabis and medical marijuana. We are pleased to provide this weekly update on the DOH Office of Medical Marijuana Use’s (OMMU) diligent work implementing the many requirements in Amendment 2 and those set by the Florida Legislature in Senate Bill 8A. This week, DOH and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services held a public workshop to discuss the proposed rule regarding pesticide use.
OMMU by the Numbers
Patients in the Registry: 83,503* | Processing Time for Complete Paper Application: 26 days |
Qualified Physicians: 1,186 | Processing Time for Complete Online Application: 17 days |
Approved Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers: 13 | Approved ID Card Applications: 56,321* |
Approved Retail Dispensing Locations: 28 | Applications in Processing: 2,916 |
Amount of Medical Marijuana Dispensed This Week (Feb. 26-Mar 2): 11,804,853 mgs | Amount of Low-THC Cannabis DispensedThis Week (Feb. 26-Mar 2): 655,820 mgs |
Total Inspections to date: 136 | Total Employees Hired to date: 27 |
Implementation Updates
- Low-THC cannabis and medical marijuana has been and continues to be available for qualified patients. Patients may search for qualified ordering physicians using the new search tool on the OMMU Patients Page. Patients and caregivers may fill their orders at any of the 27 dispensing locations, or via delivery from approved MMTCs below.
- As of this week, all 13 approved MMTCs are cultivating.
- On March 1, 2018, the department noticed an additional public hearing for the rule regarding pesticide use on cannabis. The hearing will be held on March 23, 2018 at 10 a.m. in Tallahassee. The public comment window originally scheduled to close today has now been extended.
- The OMMU has made changes to the Medical Marijuana Use Registry that eliminate the need for patients to submit a passport-style photograph if they have a Florida issued driver’s license or identification card. Instead, when a qualified ordering physician enters a patient into the registry it automatically accesses the patient’s Florida Driver’s License or Florida identification card photograph directly from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (HSMV) system. Their photo is then populated in the patient’s online identification card application. Passport-style photographs will still need to be submitted for those applicants who are not in the HSMV system. For more information click here.
- The mailing address for Patient and Caregiver ID card applications has changed: PO Box 31313, Tampa, FL 33631-3313
Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers
Name | Dispensing Locations |
|
|
Tallahassee, Tampa, Clearwater, Pensacola, Miami, Edgewater, Lady Lake, Jacksonville, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Bradenton, Fort Myers, Gainesville, delivery | |
Pensacola, Tallahassee, Tampa, North Port, Deltona, delivery | |
Miami, Kendall, Lake Worth, delivery | |
Knox Medical | Tallahassee, Gainesville, Orlando, Jacksonville, Lake Worth, St. Petersburg, delivery |
Liberty Health Science | Summerfield, delivery |
The Green Solution | Dispensing via delivery |
GrowHealthy | Dispensing via delivery |
3 Boys Farm | Cultivation Authorization only |
Vidacann | Cultivation Authorization only |
Plants of Ruskin, Inc. | Cultivation Authorization only |
SunbulbCompany, Inc. | Cultivation Authorization only |
Treadwell Nursery | Cultivation Authorization only |
Keith St. Germain Nursery Farms | Cultivation Authorization only |
Legal Updates
The implementation of Amendment 2 and Senate Bill 8A continues to be frequently litigated. While some of these lawsuits have little impact on our progress, others – particularly those regarding the constitutionality of the law we are tasked with executing – have significant impact on DOH’s ability to implement certain requirements of Senate Bill 8A.
Home Grow
| Redner v. DOH, et. al., 13th Judicial Circuit Case No. 17-CA-5677 Motion to dismiss was denied on January 24, 2018; case to go to trial. No trial date set as of yet. |
Smoking Ban
| People United for Medical Marijuana v. DOH, et. al., 2d Judicial Circuit Case No. 2017-CA-1394 Hearing took place January 25, 2018. Judge Gievers dismissed the association plaintiff, People United for Medical Marijuana, but denied the motion to dismiss the individual plaintiffs. Bench trial set for May 16. |
Constitutionality of Black Farmers Provision 381.986(8)(a)2 F.S.
| Smith v. DOH, 2d Judicial Circuit Case No. 2017–CA-001972 Hearing took place on December 28, 2017. Judge Dodson granted the injunction. Pending consolidation with Bill’s Nursery case. No trial date set at this time. |
Constitutionality of Citrus Farmers Provision 381.986(8)(a)3 F.S.
| Tropiflora, LLC v. DOH, 2d Judicial Circuit Case No. 2016-CA-1330 Awaiting injunction hearing to be scheduled. |
Application Process | Bill’s Nursery, Inc. v. DOH, 2d Judicial Circuit Case No. 2017-CA-002411 Hearing regarding motion to consolidate with Smith v. DOH was scheduled for February 2, 2018. At the request of Bill’s Nursery, Inc. Judge Dodson granted a motion to continue this hearing. No new date has been set. |
MMTC Licensure
| Nature’s Way v. DOH Case No. 17-5801 Hearing scheduled for January 29, 2018 did not occur and was continued at the request of Nature’s Way. No new date has been set. |
Constitutionality of Rules | Florigrown LLC v. DOH Case No. 2017-CA-002549 Case filed February 13, 2018 and has been assigned to Judge Gievers. |
Application Process | Patients and Producers Alliance, Inc. v. DOH Case No. 2018-CA-000336 Case filed February 14, 2018 and has been assigned to Judge Dodson. |
General Background Information
Medical Marijuana ID Card Application Process:
Once a patient has been diagnosed by a qualified ordering physician and entered into the Medical Marijuana Use Registry, they can immediately begin the identification card application process. The department encourages applicants to complete the process online as this decreases processing time. Patients receive an email from OMMU once their email is added to the registry by their qualified ordering physician which directs them to the application. Once an application is reviewed and approved, patients receive an approval email which can be used to fill an order at an approved MMTC while they await their physical card.
Medical Marijuana Use Registry: All orders for medical marijuana are recorded and dispensed via the Medical Marijuana Use Registry. The Medical Marijuana Use Registry is accessible online, with real time information to ordering physicians, law enforcement and medical marijuana treatment center staff. Patients and caregivers may also access the Medical Marijuana Use Registry to submit a Medical Marijuana Use Registry Identification Card application, and check the status of their application.
Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers: Approved medical marijuana treatment centers are the only businesses allowed to grow, process, or sell medical marijuana in Florida. Each medical marijuana treatment center must receive authorization at three stages, (1) cultivation authorization, (2) processing authorization, and (3) dispensing authorization, prior to dispensing low-THC cannabis or medical marijuana. Medical marijuana cannot be mailed.
For more information visit www.flhealth.gov/ommu
About the Florida Department of Health
The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.
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