Since Florida’s medical cannabis program began in 2017, just under 250,000 residents have received MMJ licenses
That’s more than twice the amount of MMJ patients that there was this time last year.
The state’s medical cannabis industry is expected to surpass the billion-dollar mark by 2020, with over 100 dispensaries approved for service and over 2,000 qualifying physicians prescribing the versatile plant
Locally, there are now six medical cannabis dispensaries with at least four more on the way in the next year or so
Medical cannabis is here, and it’s here to stay
Local doctors have already begun adjusting to the changing landscape. Dr. Rene Pulido began prescribing cannabis to cancer patients at his clinic, Emed Specialty Group, before deciding to launch a new branch of his clinic dedicated to medical cannabis.
“I’ve been working to help my community for the last ten years and this is one of those rare breakthrough treatments that can improve lives without potential strong side effects,” says Dr. Pulido. “Many medications come with strong side effects or risk of addiction and that makes every prescription a balancing act. Being able to offer this treatment for
All of these changes have come about quite rapidly, and as a result, there are still plenty of questions and misunderstandings about medical cannabis.
Separating fact from fiction isn’t always easy, so we’ve taken a few common questions and concerns about medical cannabis and done our best to help set the record straight.
True… sort of. CBD shops have popped up around town in the past few years, and some gas stations even offer concoctions that they refer to as CBD.
But there are a couple of things worth knowing about the CBD you can get without a license. One is that, in order to be legally sold outside of a dispensary, those products must contain 0% THC. For some patients that may be ideal, but many find that they prefer at least a small presence of THC. For that, you need a license
Another thing to keep in mind is that, because these CBD shops aren’t state-regulated dispensaries, there’s very little oversight over what’s actually in their product. You might not be getting CBD if you buy it from somewhere other than a dispensary – especially if it’s a gas station or a sketchy smoke shop
