Florida’s First Marijuana Dispensary Opens, Initiative Gaining Momentum To Expand Access

By  //  July 26, 2016

state's first medical marijuana dispensary license

ABOVE VIDEO: The first medical marijuana dispensary in the state of Florida officially opens its doors Tuesday. (WCTV video)

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Florida’s first medical marijuana dispensary opened its doors on Tuesday and 17 more are going to go up around the state.

Trulieve was granted the state’s first medical marijuana dispensary license last week and is now operating in Tallahassee.

Florida’s health department granted the license ushering in a new era for patients.

Medical marijuana patients suffering from cancer, epilepsy, chronic seizures and muscle spasms are now able to order medical marijuana by contacting their doctor providing both doctor and patient are in the state’s registry.

Access to medical marijuana was made possible when the state’s legislature gave limited approval in 2014 with an initial goal to have dispensaries open in 2015. A year of administrative challenges caused the delay.

Sunshine State News: Medical Marijuana Campaign Heats Up With May FundraisingRelated Story:
Sunshine State News: Medical Marijuana Campaign Heats Up With May Fundraising

The form of medical marijuana that’s being sold now is called “Charlotte’s Web,” that has a low THC content, which is the chemical that gives users a high feeling. Another form of medical marijuana with a much higher content of THC will be sold beginning next month to people who are terminally ill.

This November, Florida voters will have a chance to vote on expanding access to medical marijuana. In 2014, Measure 2 narrowly lost by a slim margin, but this time around the initiative is gaining momentum.

CLICK HERE FOR BREVARD COUNTY NEWS

Under a marijuana law passed last spring, nurseries that have been in business for at least 30 continuous years in Florida and cultivate at least 400,000 plants are eligible to be one of five “vertically-integrated” entities that will grow, process and distribute strains of cannabis that are low in euphoria-inducing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and high in cannabadiol, or CBD, for patients who suffer from severe spasms or cancer.
The first medical marijuana dispensary in the state of Florida officially opens its doors Tuesday.