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Pot Amendment’s Passage Creats Green Rush
November 14, 2016
Florida voters’ overwhelming approval of a constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana for a broad swath of patients may have spurred a green rush into the state by investors eager to cash in on what will soon be the nation’s second-largest pot market.
More than 71 percent of voters approved Amendment 2, “Use of Marijuana for Debilitating Medical Conditions,” on Tuesday.
The size of Florida’s new market is sparking an influx of interest from investors and operators seeking to get in on the ground floor of the state’s pot industry, which had already started because of legislation allowing more-limited medical marijuana.
“I’ve gotten 13 calls over the last two days from people who want to know how to get into the business or where the opportunities are,” lobbyist Jeff Sharkey said. “It’s a remarkable spike in interest that obviously is a result of the passage of Amendment 2. It’s been rather dramatic.”
This year was the second time Florida voters weighed in on the pot measure. A similar proposal narrowly failed to capture the 60 percent approval required for passage in 2014.
As a result of a law passed this year, full-strength pot is already being grown and distributed legally in Florida, but its use is limited to patients who are terminally ill.
The success of the constitutional amendment raises questions about the future of Florida’s industry and sets the stage for more legal battles over opportunities to gain entree to one of the country’s most lucrative markets in a multibillion-dollar industry.
“Without a doubt, the passage of Amendment 2 has created an incredibly large market for medical marijuana that interests from outside the state that don’t already have a license are going to be interested in participating in,” said Jon Costello, a lobbyist who has represented firms seeking a foothold in Florida’s pot industry. “The question now becomes what entities outside Florida are going to come and start participating politically to try and open the market.”
Lawmakers will have to deal with the expansion of pot during the legislative session that begins in March, setting up what could be an industry food fight because the amendment appears to be in conflict with several provisions in Florida’s existing laws regarding the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
Currently, six “dispensing organizations” have licenses to grow, process and distribute marijuana and cannabis-related products. Representatives of the dispensing organizations met with state Office of Compassionate Use Executive Director Christian Bax to discuss the impact of Tuesday’s election on their industry.
Bax told them that the status quo would continue, at least for now, according to several executives who attended the meeting.
Fewer than 700 patients were registered to receive the current marijuana products as of last week, according to state health officials, who estimated at least 500,000 patients would be eligible for the treatment under the constitutional amendment approved Tuesday.
“I anticipate that there’s going to be a robust discussion about the number of licenses that are necessary to meet the demand of the marketplace. That’s certainly an issue that we need to study and address, if necessary,” Sen. Rob Bradley, a Fleming Island Republican, told The News Service of Florida.
Bradley was instrumental in the passage of Florida’s existing laws that authorized non-euphoric marijuana for a limited number of patients and full-strength marijuana for terminally ill patients.
In 2014, the Legislature authorized the low-THC treatment in part to thwart that year’s proposed constitutional amendment that ultimately did not pass. Proponents tweaked the 2014 proposal to address concerns and brought it back to voters this year.
Orlando attorney John Morgan, who helped bankroll both initiatives, said Tuesday’s 71 percent approval was the largest margin for any marijuana-related measure in the country.
Morgan said he expects lawmakers to quickly address the measure during the 2017 session, given the mandate handed down by voters.
That would be a contrast to the rollout of non-euphoric medical marijuana in Florida, first authorized by lawmakers in 2014 but which only made its way to patients this year because of challenges to rules governing the industry and contests over the entities who were awarded licenses.
“What’s going to push this faster this time, when it gets to Tallahassee, is the money that’s waiting at the door to get this stuff grown and marketed. That’s going to be different,” Morgan, who — with his law firm — spent more than $6.5 million on making medical marijuana legal — told reporters.
Anticipating that Amendment 2 would pass, the GOP-dominated Legislature this spring expanded the law to allow full-strength pot for terminally ill patients. Under the new law, the already-approved dispensing organizations are allowed to grow the full-strength cannabis.
The 2016 law also requires the Department of Health to award three more licenses when more than 250,000 patients have registered for the treatment.
It is unknown how long it will take for that many patients to sign up for the treatment, but proponents of Amendment 2 believe that the estimated 500,000 patients who would be eligible will require even more licenses than that anticipated by the state law.
The constitutional amendment provides for “reasonable access” to the marijuana treatment by patients, which would almost certainly require more than nine providers in a state as large as Florida, according to Ben Pollara, who managed the Amendment 2 campaign.
“There are numerous points, both big picture and technical, where there are clear and present conflicts between the current statute and the amendment. If nothing else, those things need to be worked out,” Pollara said in a telephone interview.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Comments
18 Responses to “Pot Amendment’s Passage Creats Green Rush”
Nod just go to prison they smoke things that go there also lol.
Suppositories, I would like to see a dopper smoking one of those.
I would also like to add that marijuana in candy and brownie form (edibles) have been around forever, decades and decades, and very easy to get; if you didn’t know that now you do. The ads ran by the anti-medical marijuana groups were fear-mongering ads. If your children have not been exposed to candy, brownies or other forms of edibles the chances of that happening after this law passed makes it no greater. If you believe otherwise than you have been brainwashed and have bought into the propaganda by the anti-medical use group.
@CW, There was already a legal pill form for years called Marinol, this was given to cancer patients who had trouble getting an appetite to eat. This new law will allow for many forms because not everyone can take it the same way and each form has different effects. The primary form will be the raw bud of the plant used to smoke. The other way this can be smoked is the use of a vaporizer, this is not as harsh as straight smoking the ground up bud. In that vapor form you can use the raw material [bud] but there are better forms, such as an extract called wax or shatter, some call it honey. The other form is in food called edibles, this has a different effect than smoking, edibles tend to give you a deeper body relief from pain and allows for better rest. Because marijuana tastes horrible in most food it will be available in candies like suckers or hard candy lozenges and things like brownies, cookies etc. The other form is a tincture, this can be used as a couple drops under the tongue or a couple drops in any drink of your choice. There are no ‘injectable’ forms of marijuana that I am aware of. Not everyone can take medicines the same way as someone else, thus the multiple delivery methods that will be available. This is also for terminally ill people, you won’t get it just because you have a sore throat or back pain. Hope this answers some of your questions.
nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, prescription opiates, prescription barbs.All of which accepted as a part of our society. And yet still a 30 PERCENT dissaproval for marijuana. WOW. Those propaganda videos from the 70s must have STUCK!
REGARDING:
“I assume this is marijuana that will not be smoked, but rather in a pill form or injectable?”
Why assume that?
I won’t use it anyway, but delivery system wasn’t discussed other than the ads opposing it which claimed it would be put in candy.
(Quickest acting I am told is by suppository but I haven’t tried that experience either.)
David for a smoke-free environment anyway
Having had a few family members die from cancer in slow and painful deaths I am all for this. If pot can legally be used to bring relief to those suffering then let it be. I know there will be those who may abuse it and thats on them. I am tired of those who can benefit being denied because some may just use it to get high.
I assume this is marijuana that will not be smoked, but rather in a pill form or injectable?
Molinoman, I honestly believe you and pops are wrong. And yes if you smoke dope and want to be my friend keep it away from me. My best man went through a phase of about four years of pot smoking. We did not associate. When he quit he came to my house and we picked right up where we left off. I won’t hate you I just don’t Ike that pop stink around me. I find it abhorrent. You live your life I live mine and we can agree to disagree with no hard feelings.
Phil, law enforcement doesn’t seize property for misdemeanor amounts of marijuana anyway. And quite frankly if your trafficking marijuana ILLEGALLY then you deserve to have property seized. You make it sound like they’re out there seizing your Rolls Royce for a blunt.
@Nod – I can totally respect that view as long as you have never drank alcohol or coffee with caffeine in it. Good for you! Wish I could say the same about me.
@Nod, I told you a couple weeks ago this would go through making weed legal is do different than alcohol and even less dangerous. Your house your rules and if your bias on weed is more than your friendships that is sad and on you. I hope you never get an illness marijuana can help you with because then you’ll be a hypocrite so make sure you turn it down and suffer.
This is just the first step to legalizing all drugs for recreational use. Have fun. Beware of what you ask for. Dope will never be used at my house and if I am at your house and you bring it out I will leave. Your choice, my choice.
Let the bribery begin !!
We should be celebrating that “We the people” were able to defeat Big Pharma.
We’ve known for years the medical value of this plant, now we can legally use it.
Seizures for Leo, will also go down. Finally we will quit confiscating personal property. Let’s get this thing finished!
The next step is to get the wealthy profiteers out of the way. There’s no reason to have to jump through so many hoops to access a plant that anyone is capable of growing.
Mike, my friend, I pray with my whole heart that your boy will get the much needed relief from his 100’s of seizures a day and that you two get to finally know each other and do Dad and Son things.