Florida health officials have released a long-standing rule that stipulates the amount of THC and limits the products doctors can prescribe to cannabis patients.
Emergency laws set a 70-day supply limit of 24,500 mg of THC for non-marijuana and set limits for different routes of administration such as food, inhalation, and tincture.
The law, which was sent to patients and doctors on Friday and takes effect on Monday, also implements a state law that imposes a 2.5-ounce limit on the sale of marijuana burned within 35 days. While the law limits THC in smokeless products, the limits for whole flowers and smoked products are based on weight. They are not based on the level of THC, which causes the euphoria in marijuana.
And emergency rules create a process for doctors to request reimbursement for patients they believe are overreaching. The rules do not specify a way for a patient or doctor to appeal if a request is denied.
The ban and provisions come nearly six years after Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment authorizing the drug more than three years ago, after Congress, which was directed by the Governor. Ron DeSantis, smoking marijuana is legal.
In creating the framework for the medical-marijuana program, MPs authorized the Ministry of Health to use emergency rules to set rules. Emergency regulations can be issued without taking public comment, as is required for non-emergency regulations. Using the emergency rule is “a bit of a pain” when it comes to dosing and dispensing pills, Pensacola doctor Michelle Beasley told the News Service of Florida on Monday.
Besides the numbers, what is the damage done, and what is the reason why they need to use the power of emergency rules and overturn the statements of all doctors and all patients of the country doing that? said Beasley, who works for MMTC Florida.
Dosage and supply
The rules set a supply limit of 70 days for different application methods and calculate the daily amount for the limit. By law, the daily amount of THC is limited to 60 mg for food; 350 mg per steam; 200 mg for capsules and tinctures; 190 mg for sublingual tinctures; 190 mg for suppositories; and 150 mg topically.
Only a fraction of the state’s 800,000 drug treatment patients will exceed the new limit, according to those interviewed by the News Service on Monday.
But people in the industry predict that cannabis products will be better for patients, who are often trying to sell them. Because marijuana is illegal under federal law, patients must pay all expenses for medical visits and supplies.
This allows people to shop at Publix when they can go to Sam’s Club and get big discounts, Beasley said, noting that many Florida patients are on vacation or a regular income.
Limitations
Limitations can prevent patients who sell products that are not good for them to be able to sell substitutes within 70 days.
Barry Gordon, a doctor at the Compassionate Marijuana Clinic in Venice, criticized the methods used to regulate it, and the law itself.
Patients can use the study guides and statistics provided by the Office of Medical Marijuana Use to determine how much they should buy, how much they should buy, and when. can change their order again.
Beasley called the procedure “unstressful” for patients, especially for older patients with cognitive decline. But John Lockwood, a lawyer who represents some drug users, believes that patients should make changes.
Patients are facing new restrictions shortly after the introduction of a ballot measure to allow the use of recreational marijuana for Florida residents 21 and older. Trulieve, the state’s largest pharmaceutical company, has contributed $5 million in seed money to get an idea that is expected to get on the 2024 ballot. Beasley indicated that there could be support for the state’s efforts to reform the law. “I think it’s very different.
