ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia soon will become the first state in the nation to offer medical marijuana products at independent pharmacies, state officials said.
The Georgia Board of Pharmacy began accepting applications this week, and nearly 120 pharmacies have agreed to provide medication from Botanical Sciences, one of the state’s two licensed production companies, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
It will likely take a few weeks before medical marijuana is available in pharmacies. After they submit applications, inspections will be required before the board grants approval.
Medical marijuana is only available to Georgians with approval from a physician to treat severe illnesses including seizures, terminal cancers, Parkinson’s disease and post-traumatic stress disorder. Low THC oil can contain no more than 5% THC, the compound that gives users a high.
The expansion of medical cannabis sales into drug stores will put low THC oil within reach of many more patients, adding to the state’s seven dispensaries that have opened since April.
Patients will be able to buy cannabis oil at pharmacies if they show a state-issued low THC oil registry card and identification.
“Pharmacists have been fielding questions from patients for years without ever having the ability to do anything about it,” said Gary Long, CEO for Botanical Sciences. “Finally, they have the ability not just to give people advice but provide them with the therapies they’ve been seeking.”
About 90% of Georgia’s population will be within a 30-minute drive of a pharmacy selling medical marijuana when they open, according to the company.
“Pharmacists are a trusted provider, and it’s a way for us to destigmatize this new medicine,” said Mindy Leech, a pharmacist and the owner of Lee-King Pharmacy in Newnan. “It will make people more comfortable if they want to come in and ask questions about it.”
The Georgia General Assembly approved distribution of low THC oil as part of a state law passed in 2019, but it has taken years to create regulations for safety, inspections, licensing and distribution. Gov. Brian Kemp approved rules last month that were passed by the Georgia Board of Pharmacy, clearing the way for pharmacy sales to begin.
The Georgia Department of Public Health recently disclosed it had miscounted and inflated the number of registered medical marijuana patients. Just 14,000 active patients and caregivers are currently signed up, far fewer than the 50,000 previously reported.
“We’re going to have patients that need this health care in some remote parts of Georgia that probably would never have a dispensary near them,” said Jonathan Marquess, vice president for the Georgia Pharmacy Association and the owner of several pharmacies in the Atlanta area. “But they do have a caring professional, a knowledgeable professional pharmacist, in their communities who can talk to them.”
There are over 400 independent pharmacies in Georgia, and Marquess said he expects most of them will be interested in selling low THC oil. The product isn’t being sold by national drugstores like CVS and Walgreens.
Andrew Turnage, executive director for the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, said the pharmacy rule is “definitely big news.”
“It helps both our licensees and especially our patients,” he said. “It will put access in virtually every county in the state.”
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Interested in growing marijuana in Florida? Unfortunately, home cultivation is prohibited under Florida’s medical marijuana program. If you have been thinking about growing marijuana in Florida, here are 10 things you should know.
1. Growing Marijuana in Florida at Home Is a Crime
Florida’s medical cannabis laws do not specifically cover the cultivation of cannabis. However, Florida law states that possession of 20 grams or less of cannabis is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and up to a $1,000 fine. Therefore, growing marijuana in Florida is illegal.
Possession of more than 20 grams of cannabis is a felony. Penalties include up to five years in jail and up to a $5,000 fine.
2. Marijuana Growers Must Be Vertically Integrated
In Florida, medical marijuana companies must be vertically integrated. That means that a company is responsible for the cultivation of marijuana, manufacturing, transportation, and sale of cannabis products to medical patients. Vertical integration has been challenged by cannabis companies but affirmed by the State Supreme Court.
3. Marijuana Cultivation Jobs Are Growing
Florida is third in terms of total full-time cannabis jobs with 31,444 based on 2020’s numbers. In 2020, the state added 14,891 full-time cannabis jobs. Cannabis cultivation jobs are some of the most in-demand positions in the nation.
4. Florida Black Marijuana Farmers are Waiting for a License
After 4 years of waiting for rules to be developed regarding a new medical marijuana license, black farmers are on the verge of being able to apply. The ruling does not indicate when the license applications will begin being accepted.
A 2017 law required the state to grant a special license to “one applicant that is a recognized class member” of the “Pigford Class,” a designated a protected class of black farmers that won a settlement for a speciall license due to the history of racial discrimination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
5. 19 More Grow Licenses Must Be Issued
At the moment, Florida has 22 licensed operators in the state. However, the medical program has a schedule requiring new licenses to become available as the patient count rises. With more than 600,000 medical cannabis patients enrolled since the start of the program, the state must issue 19 additional licenses on top of the Black farmer license.
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6. Florida Farmers Can Grow Hemp
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) provides farmers with a Hemp Cultivation Portal that allows them to submit applications for permits to grow hemp in Florida.
7. Home Cultivation Proposals Have Failed Several Times
Florida’s road to recreational cannabis legalization has been a failure. A recent citizen’s initiative to legalize recreational cannabis and allow adults to grow weed at home was struck down by the Supreme Court due to misleading language in the ballot initiative.
A new initiative by Regulate Florida is aiming to gain approval and enough signatures after it was rejected by the Supreme Court earlier in the year. It is unclear whether Florida will pass legal cannabis soon.
8. Florida Has an Optimal Grow Climate
Florida’s sunny climate makes it a perfect environment for growing cannabis. However, the state also experiences extreme levels of heat and humidity, which can negatively affect marijuana plants.
Florida’s fertile and healthy soil is ideal for sativa plants. Its optimal cannabis climate has made the Sunshine State the third largest indoor cannabis producer in the nation.
9. Only One Man Can Grow Cannabis at Home
Only one person in the State of Florida is legally allowed to grow marijuana at home. In April 2018, A Florida Court ruled that Joe Redner can grow cannabis at home for medicinal purposes. However, only he is allowed to grow marijuana in Florida.
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There are over 300,000 jobs in the cannabis industry. CTU trained me for one of them!
The judge’s ruling said that Redner is “entitled to possess, grow, and use marijuana for juicing, solely for the purpose of emulsifying the biomass he needs for the juicing protocol recommended by his physician.”
10. Florida A&M University’s Hemp Cultivation Research
Florida A&M University (FAMU) has partnered with three hemp producers to research the best hemp varieties to grow in Florida’s climate. Researchers hope to identify strains that will “thrive safely, efficiently, and cost effectively” in Florida. In addition, the research intends to determine the best soil preferences and best practices for growing hemp in Florida.
Enroll in Cannabis Training University
Knowing Florida’s state regulations can help you use cannabis safely and legally. If you want to get a complete cannabis education, enroll in Cannabis Training University’s online marijuana school. Our complete curriculum covers all state laws, laws in Canada, and cannabis laws in several countries around the world.
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We are often faced with our own personal conflicts which directly influence our interactions with our peers and family.
When Inspirational Technologies is an endorsement of the “Cannabis” approach to the medical condition, we say, let’s let the look at the data and the people who say that they benefit for cannabis alternatives.
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Ron DeSantis signed a bill prohibiting sober living facilities from allowing residents to use or possess medical marijuana even if the individual has a recommendation from a physician. Florida legalized medical marijuana in 2016 when voters passed a constitutional amendment.
DeSantis, who is in a volatile primary race for the Republican presidential nomination with Donald Trump, signed the legislation this week, reported Marijuana Moment
Under the new bill, applicants seeking to operate drug recovery residences under the Florida Department of Children and Families need to declare that they do not permit the use of cannabis, which “includes marijuana that has been certified by a qualified physician for medical use.” Residents will be permitted to use other pharmaceutical drugs prescribed by doctors, “so the law explicitly singles out medical marijuana,” noted Marijuana Moment
Why It Matters: Cannabis As A Treatment For Drug Addiction
Medical marijuana has been found to be a viable alternative to current replacement therapies used to treat opioid addiction. The opioid overdose epidemic is arguably the worst public health crisis in U.S. history. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows overdose deaths are hovering near record numbers. It report noted that just under 110,000 people died from drug overdoses last year.
Research: Medical Marijuana Can Help
Growing pre-clinical and clinical evidence appears to support the use of cannabis for addictions, notes a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The evidence summarized in the study, which is one among many, demonstrated the potential that cannabis has to ease opioid withdrawal symptoms, reduce opioid consumption, ameliorate opioid cravings, prevent opioid relapse and reduce overdose deaths.
Addiction: Florida Hit Especially Hard
In the area of synthetic opioids and fentanyl, Florida reported over 5,900 fatal overdoses in 2022. Emergency Medical Services noted that in 2022, teams responded to over 105,400 overdose calls, according to the Florida Department of Health.
Earlier this week, DeSantis signed a bill on Monday enabling medical marijuana patients to use telehealth to renew their physician approvals for MMJ. The bill will also help Black farmers get valuable medical marijuana licenses after years of delays.
Shortly after that, DeSantis signed legislation removing fentanyl test strips from Florida’s list of prohibited drug paraphernalia, which health officials and advocates view as an important step in curtailing the number of opioid overdoses in Florida.
We, at Inspirational Technologies are at the forefront of Inspirational and Frontrunners on the frontier of current technology.
We are often faced with our own personal conflicts which directly influence our interactions with our peers and family.
When Inspirational Technologies is an endorsement of the “Cannabis” approach to the medical condition, we say, let’s let the look at the data and the people who say that they benefit for cannabis alternatives.
1st Hemp USA News is a resource of Inspirational Technologies (2021-2023)Inspirational Technologies (2023) AllRightsReservedYour ONE STOP BLOG FOR INFORMATION, EDUCATION, & INSPIRATION OF ESSENTIAL INNOVATION & RENOVATION of You-THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST*This site receives virtually no compensation for sales of some or all mentioned products. We however place humanitarian value over monetary interests. Our monetary income goes back into research, development, discovery and healing.Inspirational Technologies – is Committed to Your Health Wellness Beauty and EnrichmentReporting on Today’s Internal Botanical and Skin Product Benefits
4 Hemp Club was Inspired by Steven Smith’s vision to “Have an older generation 4H Club, where an older community of adults could carry on what the younger 4H Club envisioned.
Our 4H Platform Uses HEMP as an Agricultural Focal Point, deserving of research, development and with the
4 Hemp key points being Health Hope and Happiness, thru Hemp“.
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TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Attorney General Ashley Moody is urging the Florida Supreme Court to reject a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow recreational use of marijuana by people 21 and older, arguing a ballot summary would be “misleading to voters in several key respects.”
Trulieve, the state’s largest medical-marijuana operator, had contributed $39 million as of the end of May to a political committee spearheading the effort to place the proposed amendment on the 2024 ballot. The Smart & Safe Florida committee needs the Supreme Court to sign off on the proposed ballot wording before the measure can go before voters.
The court twice ruled that previous initiatives aimed at authorizing recreational use of marijuana did not meet constitutional muster. Under the Florida Constitution, ballot initiatives must not be confusing to voters and must address a single subject.
In a 49-page brief filed Monday, lawyers in Moody’s office argued that the “Adult Personal Use of Marijuana” proposal would mislead voters in several ways.
The ballot summary, in part, says the measure would allow “adults 21 years or older to possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories” for non-medical consumption.
“That is incorrect and misleading,” because marijuana remains illegal under federal law, the state’s brief said. “In previously approving similarly worded ballot summaries, the court erred.”
The Supreme Court in 2016 signed off on a proposed constitutional amendment allowing medical-marijuana use. More than 71 percent of voters approved the amendment.
But the state’s brief Monday said “voters need clear guidance before being asked to lift state-law penalties for the possession of a substance that would subject users to devastating criminal liability under federal law. And the rampant misinformation in the press and being peddled by the sponsor of this initiative about its effects makes clarity all the more pivotal.”
The ballot summary also says the measure would allow current medical-marijuana operators, known as “medical marijuana treatment centers” and “other state licensed entities to acquire, cultivate, process, manufacture, sell and distribute” marijuana products and accessories and allow “consistent legislation.”
Moody’s office argued that the proposal would mislead voters into believing it would result in more competition in Florida’s marijuana market.
Currently, only licensed operators are allowed to “engage in the marijuana trade” in Florida, the brief said, and the proposal wouldn’t change that but would “at most” give the Legislature the authority to issue more licenses.
The proposal would expand on the current medical-marijuana language in the Constitution, which gives the Department of Health oversight of the state’s marijuana industry.
But the state’s lawyers argued the proposal, which would go into effect six months after passage, is misleading about regulatory oversight because it wouldn’t specifically give state health officials authority over recreational marijuana operations.
“But even to the extent the Department (of Health) can regulate this new industry, it cannot realistically do so before the amendment takes effect,” the brief added. That would leave a “substantial period” for businesses to operate “unregulated in the recreational marijuana space.”
“In short, the Adult Personal Use of Marijuana amendment asks voters to make consequential changes to Florida’s Constitution yet is not honest with them about what those changes would be. The initiative should be stricken,” the brief said.
Supporters of the amendment blasted the state’s arguments. Smart & Safe Florida spokesman Steve Vancore said the company disagrees with Moody’s analysis.
“We believe the language as written clearly complies with the requirements of the Constitution. We look forward to bringing this matter to the Florida Supreme Court and are confident that the court will conclude that there is no lawful basis to set aside the ballot initiative. This important issue should be entrusted to the citizens of Florida — over a million of whom have already signed the Smart & Safe Florida petition saying they support it — to decide for themselves through democratic choice,” Vancore said.
Daniel Russell, an attorney with the Dean Mead firm who specializes in medical-marijuana litigation, accused Moody, a Republican, of politicizing the issue.
“This document is more Fox News fear-mongering intended to produce goodwill from ‘the base’ than a legal document filed by Florida’s chief legal officer on behalf of the state’s 22 million residents. It reeks of conservative nonsense and Nixonian views on a substance that is legalized for recreational use in 23 states, three U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. I believe that the Supreme Court of Florida will see this for what it is and allow voters to decide the next steps for Florida’s future,” Russell told The News Service of Florida in an email.
The Supreme Court on Monday also received briefs opposing the proposal from the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Drug Free America Foundation.
Lawyers for the Florida Chamber argued that the proposal violates the single-subject requirement because it “impermissibly embraces the dual subjects of decriminalization and commercialization of recreational marijuana.”
The ballot title and summary also “fail to disclose that the commercialization of recreational marijuana is a chief purpose of the proposed amendment — so much so that it would preclude adults 21 years of age or older from growing marijuana for their own personal use,” wrote attorneys from the Lawson Huck Gonzalez PLLC firm, including former Supreme Court Justice Alan Lawson.
“Decriminalizing the adult personal use of marijuana and creating a commercial recreational marijuana industry are discrete subjects with differing degrees of voter support,” the Florida Chamber’s 42-page brief said.
Arguments in a brief filed Monday by the Drug Free America Foundation alleged proposed decriminalization of marijuana “conflicts” with federal law.
The Florida proposal is “fatally flawed,” the group’s lawyers wrote in a 27-page brief.
Florida law requires initiative sponsors to submit at least 891,523 valid signatures for placement on the ballot, and also sets thresholds for the number of signatures required from half of the state’s 28 congressional districts.
The state Division of Elections website Tuesday listed 910,013 valid signatures for the recreational marijuana proposal, and the Smart & Safe Florida committee had met the requisite number of signatures in 13 districts — just one district shy of the threshold.
We, at Inspirational Technologies are at the forefront of Inspirational and Frontrunners on the frontier of current technology.
We are often faced with our own personal conflicts which directly influence our interactions with our peers and family.
When Inspirational Technologies is an endorsement of the “Cannabis” approach to the medical condition, we say, let’s let the look at the data and the people who say that they benefit for cannabis alternatives.
1st Hemp USA News is a resource of Inspirational Technologies (2021-2023)Inspirational Technologies (2023) AllRightsReservedYour ONE STOP BLOG FOR INFORMATION, EDUCATION, & INSPIRATION OF ESSENTIAL INNOVATION & RENOVATION of You-THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST*This site receives virtually no compensation for sales of some or all mentioned products. We however place humanitarian value over monetary interests. Our monetary income goes back into research, development, discovery and healing.Inspirational Technologies – is Committed to Your Health Wellness Beauty and EnrichmentReporting on Today’s Internal Botanical and Skin Product Benefits
4 Hemp Club was Inspired by Steven Smith’s vision to “Have an older generation 4H Club, where an older community of adults could carry on what the younger 4H Club envisioned.
Our 4H Platform Uses HEMP as an Agricultural Focal Point, deserving of research, development and with the
4 Hemp key points being Health Hope and Happiness, thru Hemp“.
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At a recent gathering in Boston that was focused on creating an equitable cannabis industry, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) got specific on how to do that.
“We know that legalization alone is not enough,” Sen. Warren said in a prerecorded video for the Saturday meeting organized by the Massachusetts-based Parabola Center for Law and Policy. “We need to ensure that the communities most harmed by the war on drugs are at the front of the line for reaping the benefits of legalization and we need to legalize in a way that avoids Big Tobacco and alcohol corporations or retail giants from dominating the cannabis market.”
Warren echoed Parabola’s take on the topic. “Already, aspiring weed billionaires and powerful corporations like Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Altria (NYSE: MO) (aka Philip Morris) are hounding Congress to pass bills that would let them be the first to profit from federal legalization— leaving behind small business owners and the many communities that were torn apart by decades of over-policing.”
Amazon recently released a statement reiterating its support for federal cannabis legalization.
Warren, however, is “deeply skeptical that Amazon’s lobbying is anything more than a self-interested move to monopolize yet another market, potentially blocking Black and Latino entrepreneurs from an emerging industry,” reported Marijuana Moment
“Now is the time to get creative and think big about how we can ensure fairness and competition in the cannabis industry,” Warren said “Right now, we have the rare opportunity to shape how a new industry develops from the ground up. And that means we have the chance to avoid repeating the same old story of corporations crowding out small businesses and dominating markets.”
The event was also attended by Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s, Harvard’s Dr. Peter Grinspoon as well as cannabis regulators from Massachusetts, NYC, Washington, D.C., the Drug Policy Alliance, Doctors for Cannabis Regulation, Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition and more organizations.
The Parabola Center
Founded by its current director Shaleen Title a former Massachusetts cannabis regulator, the Parabola Center is a nonpartisan think tank of legal professionals and drug policy experts coming together to protect people, not corporations. The organization’s mission is to provide “everyone with the education, access, and expertise to support cannabis legalization policies that put people and small businesses first.”
We, at Inspirational Technologies are at the forefront of Inspirational and Frontrunners on the frontier of current technology.
We are often faced with our own personal conflicts which directly influence our interactions with our peers and family.
When Inspirational Technologies is an endorsement of the “Cannabis” approach to the medical condition, we say, let’s let the look at the data and the people who say that they benefit for cannabis alternatives.
1st Hemp USA News is a resource of Inspirational Technologies (2021-2023)Inspirational Technologies (2023) AllRightsReservedYour ONE STOP BLOG FOR INFORMATION, EDUCATION, & INSPIRATION OF ESSENTIAL INNOVATION & RENOVATION of You-THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST*This site receives virtually no compensation for sales of some or all mentioned products. We however place humanitarian value over monetary interests. Our monetary income goes back into research, development, discovery and healing.Inspirational Technologies – is Committed to Your Health Wellness Beauty and EnrichmentReporting on Today’s Internal Botanical and Skin Product Benefits
4 Hemp Club was Inspired by Steven Smith’s vision to “Have an older generation 4H Club, where an older community of adults could carry on what the younger 4H Club envisioned.
Our 4H Platform Uses HEMP as an Agricultural Focal Point, deserving of research, development and with the
4 Hemp key points being Health Hope and Happiness, thru Hemp“.
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The Georgia General Assembly approved distribution of low THC oil as part of a state law passed in 2019, but it has taken years to create regulations for safety, inspections, licensing and distribution. Gov. Brian Kemp approved rules last month that were passed by the Georgia Board of Pharmacy, clearing the way for pharmacy sales to begin.
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