Pubdate: Tue, 17 Jun 2014
Source: Palm Beach Post, The (FL)
Copyright: 2014 The Palm Beach Post
Contact:  http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/333
Author: Christine Stapleton
Page: A1

SCOTT SIGNS BILLS FOR MEDICINAL MARIJUANA

Gov. Rick Scott signed two bills into law on Monday that allow
physicians to prescribe Charlotte's Web, a low- THC cannabis used to
treat patients with cancer or illnesses that cause seizures and muscle
spasms, such as epilepsy in children.

The bill ,SB 1030, which goes into effect in January, legalizes only
one form of marijuana: a liquid that is rich in cannabidiol, or CBD,
but low in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound that produces a
high. The bill also lays out an intricate regulatory system of who can
grow and distribute the drug.

A related bill, SB 1700, signed by Scott on Monday prohibits the
public from accessing information in the state's Compassionate Use
Registry - which identifies patients prescribed low-dose THC cannabis
and physicians who write those prescriptions. Law-enforcement
investigators, physicians and agency employees who maintain the
registry will be allowed to access information in the registry.

"As a father and grandfather, you never want to see kids suffer,"
Scott said in a statement released shortly after he signed the bills.
"The approval of Charlotte's Web will ensure that children in Florida
who suffer from seizures and other debilitating illnesses will have
the medication needed to improve their quality of life. I am proud to
stand today with families who deserve the ability to provide their
children with the best treatment available."

The nickname "Charlotte's Web" comes from a 7-year-old Colorado girl,
Charlotte Figi, who suffered hundreds of seizures every week caused by
Dravet syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy. Her seizures were eased by
treatment with drops of CBD oil. Although the oil does not produce a
high, debate among lawmakers often digressed into claims that the bill
would pave the way for legalization of marijuana for recreational use,
as has been done in Colorado.

To make the distinction between Charlotte's Web and marijuana that is
smoked to get high, parents of children with seizure disorders brought
their children, many in wheelchairs, to the Capitol to make appeals to
legislators in their offices. They testified at public committee
hearings and listened to debate from the galleries of both chambers.

Although Scott signed the bills, the medical marijuana debate is far
from over. In November, Florida voters will decide on a constitutional
amendment that would expand the use and type of marijuana that could
be used to treat debilitating diseases. Patients with Lou Gehrig's
disease, HIV/AIDS and Parkinson's disease would be eligible for
treatment with marijuana - and not just the non-euphoric strains, such
as Charlotte's Web.

Twenty states and Washington, D.C., have legalized the use of
marijuana for treatment of a variety of medical conditions. Eleven did
so through ballot measures, with five of them drawing at least 60
percent support from voters, the level needed in Florida to pass
Amendment 2. A Quinnipiac University poll last month showed 88 percent
support among Floridians for medical marijuana.

Also on Monday, Scott signed into law a bill, HB 697, that adds six
substances to Schedule I controlled substances, making it a
third-degree felony to sell, make, deliver or possess with intent to
sell four new synthetic cannabinoids and two new phenethylamines.
Cannabis and heroin are examples of Schedule I drugs. The new law will
apply to ingredients most commonly found in "Molly" short for
molecule, a phenethylamine often sold as "bath salts" and similar in
structure to Ecstacy.
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MAP posted-by: Matt