Reefer Madness in Florida

Reefer Madness in Florida

By Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida

Get ready for reefer madness on February 18th.

That’s when members of the state’s two physician licensing boards begin working on the practice standards Florida-licensed physicians must follow when ordering smokable medical marijuana for their qualified patients. The Board of Medicine and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine are required to have the rules adopted by July 1.

As members of the boards, meeting collectively as the Joint Committee on Medical Marijuana (not kidding), begin working on rules laying out when smoking is acceptable, they will be reviewing the findings of a new sate report that shows smoking medical marijuana is popular among patients who qualify.

A new Department of Health report shows that 584,227 certifications for smoking were issued to 400,892 patients between Oct. 1, 2019 and Sept. 30, 2020. The report, published annually by the state, is compiled of data collected by the Florida Department of Health’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use.

The report also shows that the average amount of smokable marijuana physicians certified during the 12-month period was 2.46 ounces, slightly higher than the 2.4 ounces that physicians certified between March 18, 2019 — when smoking became a legal route of administration — and Sept. 30, 2019.

Post-traumatic stress disorder continues to be the most common condition of patients who have certifications for smokable medical marijuana, accounting for 37.5 percent of the certifications.

Physicians aren’t the only ones getting into the medical marijuana weeds on Wednesday, however.

The House Professions & Public Health Subcommittee will hear from Bertha Madras, a Harvard Medical School professor of psychobiology who will discuss the negative effects of high-potency marijuana. 

RULES

The Council of Medical Physicists proposes amending Rule 64B23-7.001 to update the form to apply for licensure as a medical physicist in training. More here.

The Board of Osteopathic Medicine proposes amending Rule 64B15-13.0025 to clarify the requirement for continuing education courses on prescribing controlled substances. More here.

The Board of Osteopathic Medicine proposes amending Rule 64B15-14.0075 to revise the adverse-incident reporting form. More here.

The Board of Medicine proposes amending Rule 64B8-9.001 to revise the adverse-incident reporting form. More here.

14 Responses to "Reefer Madness in Florida"

  1. it’s funny how things that do more harm to our bodies is legal. IM including legal drugs also. I’m from the 70s never got in trouble on plain old marijuana,but sure did on legal booze. Midwest was always thought of as backwards,but florida!!!! sure is proving that statement wrong.

  2. I can remember when a 1 Finger Baggie of the good stuff was $10 and a 3 Finger Baggie was $20. For those that don’t know……… Back then they used Sandwich Baggies. A three Finger baggie is when they put enough Pot in the Baggie to make it about a half inch thick and then you measure it using your Fingers. You put three Fingers together and place them on the back side of the Baggie going side to side, If you can still see a Finger, you add more Pot to the Baggie. A full Baggie was between $40 and $50. This was late 70’s early 80’s.

  3. The President Trump quip was sarcasm. It seems to be the go-to retort of the NaziCrats whenever they get caught in their projection tactic or simply can’t engage in reasonable debate on science or facts… anyhoo… I have no opposition to the use of cannabis as an alternative to poison being pushed by the Pharmaceutical Industrial Complex. In fact, it was the Pharmaceutical Industrial Complex that financed the opposition to cannabis until the politicians found a way to cut them into the windfall.

    I also believe that “recreational use” of weed should be decriminalized, but not free-willie legalized. Contrary to the false narrative and misinformation propagated by the fiscal beneficiaries, it is detrimental to our culture and society as a whole. It hampers intellectual development, stymies professional growth, tends to render one complacent and malleable, and also negativity impacts family-based tourism.

    I have no issue with people having their own little personal use garden at home either, so long as it doesn’t delve into the level of manufacturing for sale. Make no mistake about it, putting this into the hands and control of government and big Pharma will ultimately – and always – result in potentially irreparable damage to our society… and it will not eliminate the black market.

  4. Trumps fault ?? My sister is 64yrs and she knew about marijuana and I can promise you she didn’t hear it from President Trump

  5. Looks like the stoners started off the day with a little wake-n-bake session… lol

    Funny how the left lament “choice” when it comes to drugs, bathrooms, and murdering innocent babies… next we’ll be told that it’s “all about the children”

    Can’t seem to find their way to an employment office or a voting booth… but hey; need a ride to the weed shop?

    ?

  6. As a Floridian, that has spent the last 3 months in Michigan, smoking marijuana is legal for every adult in the state. I never saw anything out of hand going on. People are allowed to grow 3 or 4 plants each and the people who have a medical marijuana card are supposed to get the best of the best. I don’t understand the hold-up in Florida. We voted for it and are still waiting.

  7. Where does the statistic “>60% of youth entering college cannot read, write or do arithmetic above an eighth grade level…” come from specifically? Apparently, senior citizens were never taught how to use data (if it is actual data) and provide adequate references. It is clear that Trump made this elementary mistake the norm, unfortunately.

  8. Marijuana is only legal for those 18 years and older … after they’ve gotten a high school education. Statistical evidence shows that states who legalized marijuana have a lower incidence of opioid use and overdose.

  9. Patients too sick to work can’t afford this life saving medicine. Patients NEED the absolute right to grow their own medicine.

    Why should only the wealthy find relief?

    Who can afford a $50 eighth?

    It’s just wrong.

    It’s greed.

  10. And yet we are stymied in amazement as to why our culture and society is a mess, and why 60+% of our youth entering college cannot read, write, or do arithmetic above the 8th grade level.

    This has to be President Trump’s fault… I’m sure of it. ?

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