Pubdate: Mon, 26 Jul 2017
Source: Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Copyright: 2017 Sun-Sentinel Company
Website: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/159
Authors: Caitlin Randle and Skyler Swisher

MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES TAKING ROOT IN SOUTH FLORIDA

What's legal, what's not, and what we're waiting on in this time
between the passage of a state constitutional amendment legalizing
medical marijuana and a July deadline for the Department of Health to
institute rules and regulations.

What's legal, what's not, and what we're waiting on in this time
between the passage of a state constitutional amendment legalizing
medical marijuana and a July deadline for the Department of Health to
institute rules and regulations.

During the past six months, the number of doctors in Florida who can
recommend marijuana to patients has more than doubled from 374 to 819
as of June 2, according to state records. In Broward, Miami-Dade and
Palm Beach counties, the number also more than doubled from 130 to
303.

During the past six months, the number of doctors in Florida who can
recommend marijuana to patients has more than doubled from 374 to 819
as of June 2, according to state records. In Broward, Miami-Dade and
Palm Beach counties, the number also more than doubled from 130 to
303.

The three-day event at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Broward County
Convention Center, which runs through Sunday, had the look and feel of
a typical trade show or exhibition, with vendors selling vaping
devices, a machine that makes oils and butter from herbs, and a cruise
company touting "networking on the high seas."

The three-day event at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Broward County
Convention Center, which runs through Sunday, had the look and feel of
a typical trade show or exhibition, with vendors selling vaping
devices, a machine that makes oils and butter from herbs, and a cruise
company touting "networking on the high seas."

Patients seeking medical marijuana will soon have more places to get
it in South Florida.

The Palm Beach County Commission and the Dania Beach Commission agreed
this week to allow medical marijuana dispensaries wherever pharmacies
are allowed.

"I wish it was around, legalized with a doctor's prescription, when my
mother was dying," Dania Commissioner Chickie Brandimarte said.

Cities across South Florida will decide in coming months whether to
allow dispensaries within their borders.

The Palm Beach County Commission gave initial approval Thursday to
lifting its temporary ban on medical marijuana in unincorporated parts
of the county. County Commissioner Dave Kerner said he expects the ban
to be lifted by September.

"Collectively, the board agrees this is something voters supported,
and we don't want to stand in the way of that," he said.

About three-fourths of voters in Broward and Palm Beach counties
supported Amendment 2, which legalized medical marijuana in Florida
for people with cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, epilepsy and
other debilitating conditions.

The first South Florida dispensary opened in Redland in Miami-Dade
County last year, and a second dispensary opened next to Miami
International Airport in April.

Two dispensaries could open as early as August in Lake Worth, where
medical pot stores are allowed. Knox Medical plans to open its first
South Florida location in a former bank building on Dixie Highway
across the street from Lake Worth City Hall, company spokesman Adam
Sharon said.

State legislators gave communities two options. They could either ban
dispensaries outright or allow them with rules no more restrictive
than they impose on corner drug stores.

Boca Raton, Coral Gables, Delray Beach, Deerfield Beach and West Palm
Beach have moratoriums in place. Lauderdale-by-the-Sea will vote on a
ban on Aug. 13.

Patients must follow state guidelines to use medical pot. They must
get a recommendation from a doctor and apply for a state
identification card from the Health Department. Then they can pick up
their medical pot from a dispensary or through a delivery service.

Marijuana can be taken through vaping, edibles or oils, but the
Legislature banned smoking the drug.

One criticism raised by a resident at the Dania Beach meeting was that
dispensaries operate on a cash-only basis, which could make them a
target for thieves.

Banks aren't allowed to accept money from marijuana businesses because
they're still illegal at the federal level, so businesses can only
accept cash, rather than credit card or insurance payments.
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