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Scott Administration Wants More Restrictions On Marijuana Proposal
April 22, 2014
Gov. Rick Scott and his surgeon general are balking at a proposal headed to the House floor that would open the door for a strain of marijuana that doesn’t get users high but is believed to dramatically reduce seizures in children with a rare form of epilepsy.
Instead, Scott wants a more limited approach that would put children with “intractable” epilepsy, as well as children and adults with other diseases, into clinical trials for the drug. The trials would require cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or drug companies.
A plan approved by the House Judiciary Committee on Monday includes language proposed by Scott that would create an “Office of Compassionate Use” within the Department of Health that would “enhance access to investigational new drugs for Florida patients through approved clinical treatment plans or studies.”
“Investigational new drug” studies are the first step in laboratory testing of drugs not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Florida Surgeon General John Armstrong told the House committee Monday that he has concerns about other areas of the bill but that his approach is “patient-centered and provides access to medications of known content and dose” and could be operational within months.
But Armstrong raised questions about the measure’s “plant-focused system … without quality assurance for the precise chemical composition and protection from impurity.”
The strain of marijuana, which is high in cannabidiol (CBD) and low in euphoria-inducing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), would have “variable and unknown content,” Armstrong said.
“The safety is unknown and the time to establish such a (distribution system) structure is unknown, likely more than 18 months and subject to rule challenges,” he went on.”Your Department of Health is committed to helping children and their families managing refractory epilepsy safely. We support access to investigational new drugs with known composition and a regulated risk profile. We must be wary of unintended consequences and remember that first we must do no harm.”
Armstrong also pointed to a drug called Epidiolex, a synthetic form of marijuana high in CBD but with no THC. The University of California, San Francisco, started clinical trails on the drug, manufactured by GW Pharmaceuticals, earlier this year.
Under Scott’s plan, the “Office of Compassionate Use” could create a network of state universities and medical centers and apply to the FDA or a drug manufacturer for a study. The House measure also includes $1 million for the clinical studies.
“We have concerns with the bill as it is, but have proposed language to ensure safeguards that support the compassionate use through investigational treatments and ensures those suffering get access to treatments in the fastest possible way,” Scott spokeswoman Jackie Schutz said.
House sponsor Matt Gaetz said that the clinical trials preferred by Scott are a good addition to his bill but an inadequate substitute for allowing anyone whose physician deems they would benefit from the low-THC treatment to get it.
“The governor’s suggestions are good. We’ve taken those suggestions but we’re thinking a little bolder,” Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, said Monday evening. “I would like to do that and have little kids who can’t get into a clinical trial still have their lives saved.”
Apart from the language proposed by Scott, the House proposal (HB 843) adopted Monday edged closer to the Senate’s approach (SB 1030) to the issue. Parents of children with intractable epilepsy, which does not respond to other treatments, believe a strain of the marijuana produced in Colorado and known as “Charlotte’s Web” is their best hope of reducing the hundreds of seizures, some of them fatal, affected children can experience each day.
Like the Senate plan (SB 1070), the House proposal now on its way to the floor would create a “vertical” distribution system where the same company must grow, produce and dispense the product.
The House measure would allow for four distribution centers spread out across the state. The Senate proposal would allow from one to four distribution centers.
The House and Senate bills would create a statewide “compassionate use” registry for anyone who receives the drug, allow doctors to order the low-THC marijuana and require doctors to submit treatment plans for patients to the University of Florida College of Pharmacy quarterly. The Senate version would limit use of the drug to individuals with seizure disorders. The House measure would also require any doctor who orders the medical marijuana to undergo eight hours of training provided by the Florida Medical Association, which supports the bill.
Many of the elements of the House bill could be used as a blueprint for how the state would handle medical marijuana if voters approve a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would allow doctors to order the drug for their patients.
Although the low-THC proposal has the support of many GOP lawmakers, including Senate President Don Gaetz, some Republicans remain unconvinced.
House Judiciary Chairman Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, was one of three “no’s” in the 15-3 vote Monday, objecting that the issue was “a little too edgy” for his approval.
“This is the push-off point. Are we starting an avalanche?” Baxley said. “I just don’t feel that we’re safe there as a policy yet.”
by Dara Kim, The News Service of Florida
Comments
15 Responses to “Scott Administration Wants More Restrictions On Marijuana Proposal”
As a republican and cannabis user, I will only support those who are for freeing this plant. I am an educated woman who uses marijuana medically, socially, and I even juice the product.
Gov. Scott, I will be voting against you and anyone else who is against legalizing this harmless plant known as marijuana. Focus on alcohol and cigarettes and all of the other things that kill or mess people up. I have been using marijuana since I was 14 and I am now 35. I have no problems and still smoke every single day I can. I would pay $1,000 a year to be able to legally grow my own marijuana just for me and nobody else would have access to it. I want to smoke without having to hide it and I could care less about making any money off of it.
Governor Scott needs to leave the health care to the professionals and represent the people, over 70% of which support medical marijuana. The idea that sick people should wait on bureaucracy to allow the use of a substance with hundreds, if not thousands of years of safe use in treating many conditions is preposterous. One only needs to look at a pharmacoepia pre-dating 1937 to find all the things that doctors had already determined that cannabis treats. Considering that the government has obstructed research of this substance for over 40 years, the people are no longer willing to wait on a broken system that has the National Institute on Drug Abuse (major conflict of interest) controlling the dispensing of research materials. Since Scott can’t positively affect any of this from his current position as governor–not to mention the conflict of interest of him owning stake in the drug testing industry who’s profits are threatened by this measure–Governor Scott really should be discarded as an authority on this subject or anyone who’s opinion is even of noteworthiness.
The conservatives / Tea Party / Republicans in Tallahassee are completely stymied by this issue. It’s scary to see that as little as they know about the subject, they are the ones who are ultimately responsible for the implementation of this law (if they ever get their act together) and also the change in the State’s constitution come Election Day. Honestly, they’re like deer in the headlights! While we’re at it this November, can we please elect legislators who can simply put the new law in place? How hard can it be – there are already many states ahead of us that have already done this and none of their legislators got a “brain strain” in doing so….
The drug testing is a family business for gov. scott and that should be against the law for him to push it while in office.In november lets vote no for scott and yes for medical marijuana. (please) and thank you
The one an only reason it’s not 100% legal in the U.S is because the government has not found out how to tax it! How do they expect to make there money when you can grow it in your back yard for free, same thing with making moonshine, they are just upset they won’t get there cut!!!!
Rick Scott owns clinics that make money off drug testing and Rick Scott and his wife stand to lose money if Marijuana was legalized in Florida. Also Rick Scott is still pushing for the idea of drug testing anyone receiving help from the state which would not be Constitutional or cost effective but it would help Rick Scott’s clinics make money off our tax dollars.
It’s also very likely that Scott and his friends are heavily invested in big pharmaceutical manufacturing companies that don’t sell marijuana as medication and they don’t want to compete against people who might decide to use Marijuana for pain management or any of the other medicinal reasons people would use pot.
Florida stands to make tax revenue we desperately need if we legalized it for recreational uses and we would save a lot by not keeping people in jails for non-violent drug offenses.
The Governor and Attorney General do not care what the people of Florida want, they do not want medical marijuana in this state no matter who benefits from it, young or old. I will not be voting for this fraudster in the up coming election. He is a known crook.
would it really be so bad if people who were ill could get a little euphoria out of the deal along with the medicinal benefits?
It is odds that many other states have the user information— but Florida wants to reinvent the wheel. The governor pushed for and got an extra one million dollars to do a study— I guess there must be a company some where that Scott or family has an interest in.
Oh for heaven’s sake just legalize it. Anyone who wants to smoke pot can get it anywhere anytime anyway. All this legislative wrangling and hand wringing seems kind of pointless. The criminal justice system does more harm to people’s lives than the marijuana does! Let’s legalize it. Don’t forget to vote on the constitutional amendment this fall.
Oh for heaven sakes just legalize it! Debating all this minutia is just silly. Anybody who knows anybody can buy all they want anyway. If people want to smoke pot, just let them – The criminal justice system does more harm than the drug itself.
Obviously, none of OUR lawmakers who “balk” at this have anyone affected with the seizures and other health complications that may be relieved by “Charlotte’s Web”.
Just a guess but if the “right” (political contributors) growers and distribution systems were in place this would have no opposition from our Representatives.
Small wonder some citizens have such little respect and confidence in those WE elected to help aid We The People……
Goodbye Mr Scott, hope you enjoyed your job while it lasted, come November you’ll be hunting another.
Leave it to Florida to make this more complicated than it has to be. It is being made legal for both medical and recreational ALL over the U.S. at a fast pace. So we were in Florida get to watch the rest of the country move forward while watching our State Government argue about THC and CBD dosages… heaven forbid a patient gets an euphoric effect. This bill sounds promising but this strain of cannabis only helps a VERY small number of people. Chairman Dennis Baxley, grow a pair…”to-edgy” really? So you were voted into office to dodge “edgy” issues? Afraid you won’t make your constituents happy however you vote?