Florida Says It Will Miss New Medical Marijuana License Deadline

The licenses for the newly approved medical marijuana cultivators in Florida was supposed to happen by October 3, but due to Hurricane Irma, the state says that they will miss that deadline. Another factor is the lawsuit filed by Columbus Smith regarding the constitutionality of Florida’s new medical marijuana rules.

Christian Bax, state medical marijuana office executive director, issued a letter explaining the delay, according to Sunshine State News. Bax cited the ongoing lawsuit as one factor. Plaintiff, Columbus Smith, says that only a small number of black farmers would qualify for medical marijuana business licenses under the new laws.

Bax said, “The OMMU (Office of Medical Marijuana Use) is aware of its important role in continuing to move this process forward to provide patient access as quickly and safely as possible. However, recent history has emphasized the importance of getting the MMTC (medical marijuana treatment center) licensure process right the first time.”

Some legislators are uneasy with the new licensing process. Several question the process and equality of licensee selection.

Ben Pollara of United for Care said, regarding the deadline, that, “It’s not just unlikely. It is literally impossible.”

For black farmers to qualify, they had to have been part of the Pigford v. Glickman case. Given that it was more than three and a half decades ago, that leaves the pool of qualifying black farmers quite small.

There have been 13 lawsuits filed regarding Florida’s medical marijuana law since the first licenses were issued in 2015. Several of these lawsuits are ongoing.

The most recent change was last week’s emergency rule to include outside experts for a “blind test” on the applications.

The new deadline for the state to issue cultivator licenses has not been established.