Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
When a small package arrived at Gabriel George's Northside Jacksonville home Tuesday afternoon, he knew he finally could get some relief for a nerve injury he suffered in a motorcycle accident nine years ago.
George lost most of the use of his right arm because of the accident but he long wanted medicinal marijuana to ease the discomfort from nerve damage . The package that arrived at his home was from Knox Medical LLC, one of only seven legal medicinal marijuana growing operations in Florida.
"This is very important to me because it's giving me a sense of livelihood back," George said. "I have spasms and my whole arm is paralyzed... ."
The medicinal marijuana delivered to George's home was in the form of a droplet liquid that he uses to put two drops under his tongue.
It's also low-THC (or low potency) marijuana known as Charlotte's Web that was legalized in Florida two years ago.
For the company that grows the marijuana, Knox Medical, it was the first home delivery of the drug to the Jacksonville market since the company started cultivating the plant in Winter Garden outside Orlando two years ago.
The publicized home delivery of the drug to George was an orchestrated public relations event, but it also came on the same day that more potent medicinal marijuana was officially legalized in Florida after state voters overwhelmingly approved use of the drug in the Nov. 8 election.
The intention of Knox Medical's officials in alerting the media to the home delivery was to point out that access to medicinal marijuana is becoming easier, while regulations on the new and stronger medical pot use remain in a state of flux.
While regulatory issues are yet to be settled, the entire issue of medicinal marijuana in Florida has been shrouded in legal spats and competitive business challenges.
While Charlotte's Web was approved by the legislature, some local municipalities such as Jacksonville considered moratoriums to prevent the sale of the drug in cities. The growing rights to the stronger medical pot were also embroiled in legal battles with some saying the state licenses granted to growers amounted to a monopoly. Even a nursery in Jacksonville, Loop's Nursery, sued hoping to get in on the growing business but was rejected by an administrative law judge.
Knox Medical's CEO Jose Hidalgo said the company already provides home delivery of medicinal Charlotte's Web in other areas of the state and they've been providing similar delivery for even stronger forms of the drug that was granted exceptions through a state legislative exemption approved over a year ago.
Hidalgo said state residents who need the medicinal marijuana can start adjusting to getting it more readily.
"We're required to cultivate and manufacture within Central Florida, but our license allows us to open dispensaries and deliver throughout the state of Florida without any restrictions," Hidalgo said. "Given that our main focus is to help patients and families of those in need, wherever those patients may be in the state of Florida we will deliver it to their house."
Knox Medical is actually the state-designated medicinal pot grower for Central Florida. Chestnut Hill Trees in Alachua outside of Gainesville is the designated cultivation center for Northeast Florida. But Chestnut Hill spokeswoman Lyndsey Brzozowski said the grower just recently finalized all authorization and the drug is not readily available for delivery.
"CHT Medical received authorization from the Florida Department of Health's Office of Compassionate Use to process and dispense medical cannabis on Wednesday, December 21, 2016," Brzozowski said in an email. " Given that recent development, CHT Medical will begin making deliveries within two to three weeks."
The first home delivery of medicinal pot to Jacksonville by Knox Medical comes as over 50 municipalities in Florida – including several on the First Coast – approved moratoriums on dispensaries for the drug while local governments settle zoning regulations for the potential business operations.
Several regulatory issues also remain uncertain as legalized high-potency medical marijuana went into effect Tuesday.
Outside of sales tax, state government still hasn't settled how it will tax medicinal marijuana. It's still not certain if it will undergo similar user taxes that apply to alcohol, for instance.
Richard Blau an attorney for the Regulated Products Group for the law firm GrayRobinson, said in a Nov. 19 Times-Union report the regulations for growing and selling high-potency medical marijuana will still need more clarification. "The Legislature has to come together in 2017 and really fill in the details and define the many, many variables that exist within the model of legalization that was provided by Amendment 2," he said.
Even Florida Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, who drafted much of the Charlotte's Web legislation, has said if there is a high demand for medicinal marijuana he could see the growing businesses jump from about a half dozen to nine or 10 in short order under the current law.
George's physician Terel Newton, an anesthesiologist who practices in Jacksonville, said it's not quite as difficult to get the medical marijuana as it initially seems. He said patients wanting the drug are dependent, though, on physicians who support the treatment.
"You usually get a referral from the patient's neurologist to evaluate the patient when they have failed all conventional options or have significant side effects from the current medications," Newton said.
But then Newton steps in and develops a personalized treatment plan that could include medicinal marijuana after about three months of observation. Physicians like Newton then turn to the medical marijuana manufacturers approved by the Florida Department of Health, the agency that issues the growing licenses.
"I put in a cannabis order for them [patients] with the office of Compassionate Use register," Newton said. "I have the patient call the dispensary [manufacturer] to arrange delivery of the medicine. Then the dispensary confirms the patient's identification ... and then they arrange for delivery.
"I think the thing that is complicated is that it's relatively new here. So, if you have a physician that's not comfortable with the concept of medical cannabis as a medicine, then they may not be willing to refer the patient to begin with," Newton said.
Hidalgo said the home delivery is within the realm of affordability.
Knox Medical even offers special discounts and cost deductions for poor patients. For other patients, home delivery can cost about $25 for the delivery service in the Orlando area or about $50 for delivery to areas as far away as Jacksonville. The drug itself costs about $90 per 600 milligrams of medicinal marijuana in whatever form it is administered.
"At that point, they make a payment for the medicine and we give them the medicine. It's a fairly simple process," Hidalgo said.
Basically, Hidalgo said, home delivery is about the only simple aspect to the new medicinal marijuana laws that went into effect in Florida.
Even Hidalgo said state lawmakers and regulators will need to hammer out more stipulations surrounding availability of the drug.
"We're getting phone calls every day from patients that have conditions that are expanded but cannot receive the medicine. So, we're all as eager as you [patients] to get directions from the Department of Health," Hidalgo said. "We're all waiting. There's a lot of confusion out there... . It is a very fluid situation and we expect to see some sort of directive from the Department of Health later this month."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Home Delivery Only Certain Thing As New Medicinal Marijuana Laws Go Into Effect
Author: Drew Dixon
Contact: jacksonville.com
Photo Credit: Bruce Lipsky
Website: jacksonville.com
George lost most of the use of his right arm because of the accident but he long wanted medicinal marijuana to ease the discomfort from nerve damage . The package that arrived at his home was from Knox Medical LLC, one of only seven legal medicinal marijuana growing operations in Florida.
"This is very important to me because it's giving me a sense of livelihood back," George said. "I have spasms and my whole arm is paralyzed... ."
The medicinal marijuana delivered to George's home was in the form of a droplet liquid that he uses to put two drops under his tongue.
It's also low-THC (or low potency) marijuana known as Charlotte's Web that was legalized in Florida two years ago.
For the company that grows the marijuana, Knox Medical, it was the first home delivery of the drug to the Jacksonville market since the company started cultivating the plant in Winter Garden outside Orlando two years ago.
The publicized home delivery of the drug to George was an orchestrated public relations event, but it also came on the same day that more potent medicinal marijuana was officially legalized in Florida after state voters overwhelmingly approved use of the drug in the Nov. 8 election.
The intention of Knox Medical's officials in alerting the media to the home delivery was to point out that access to medicinal marijuana is becoming easier, while regulations on the new and stronger medical pot use remain in a state of flux.
While regulatory issues are yet to be settled, the entire issue of medicinal marijuana in Florida has been shrouded in legal spats and competitive business challenges.
While Charlotte's Web was approved by the legislature, some local municipalities such as Jacksonville considered moratoriums to prevent the sale of the drug in cities. The growing rights to the stronger medical pot were also embroiled in legal battles with some saying the state licenses granted to growers amounted to a monopoly. Even a nursery in Jacksonville, Loop's Nursery, sued hoping to get in on the growing business but was rejected by an administrative law judge.
Knox Medical's CEO Jose Hidalgo said the company already provides home delivery of medicinal Charlotte's Web in other areas of the state and they've been providing similar delivery for even stronger forms of the drug that was granted exceptions through a state legislative exemption approved over a year ago.
Hidalgo said state residents who need the medicinal marijuana can start adjusting to getting it more readily.
"We're required to cultivate and manufacture within Central Florida, but our license allows us to open dispensaries and deliver throughout the state of Florida without any restrictions," Hidalgo said. "Given that our main focus is to help patients and families of those in need, wherever those patients may be in the state of Florida we will deliver it to their house."
Knox Medical is actually the state-designated medicinal pot grower for Central Florida. Chestnut Hill Trees in Alachua outside of Gainesville is the designated cultivation center for Northeast Florida. But Chestnut Hill spokeswoman Lyndsey Brzozowski said the grower just recently finalized all authorization and the drug is not readily available for delivery.
"CHT Medical received authorization from the Florida Department of Health's Office of Compassionate Use to process and dispense medical cannabis on Wednesday, December 21, 2016," Brzozowski said in an email. " Given that recent development, CHT Medical will begin making deliveries within two to three weeks."
The first home delivery of medicinal pot to Jacksonville by Knox Medical comes as over 50 municipalities in Florida – including several on the First Coast – approved moratoriums on dispensaries for the drug while local governments settle zoning regulations for the potential business operations.
Several regulatory issues also remain uncertain as legalized high-potency medical marijuana went into effect Tuesday.
Outside of sales tax, state government still hasn't settled how it will tax medicinal marijuana. It's still not certain if it will undergo similar user taxes that apply to alcohol, for instance.
Richard Blau an attorney for the Regulated Products Group for the law firm GrayRobinson, said in a Nov. 19 Times-Union report the regulations for growing and selling high-potency medical marijuana will still need more clarification. "The Legislature has to come together in 2017 and really fill in the details and define the many, many variables that exist within the model of legalization that was provided by Amendment 2," he said.
Even Florida Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, who drafted much of the Charlotte's Web legislation, has said if there is a high demand for medicinal marijuana he could see the growing businesses jump from about a half dozen to nine or 10 in short order under the current law.
George's physician Terel Newton, an anesthesiologist who practices in Jacksonville, said it's not quite as difficult to get the medical marijuana as it initially seems. He said patients wanting the drug are dependent, though, on physicians who support the treatment.
"You usually get a referral from the patient's neurologist to evaluate the patient when they have failed all conventional options or have significant side effects from the current medications," Newton said.
But then Newton steps in and develops a personalized treatment plan that could include medicinal marijuana after about three months of observation. Physicians like Newton then turn to the medical marijuana manufacturers approved by the Florida Department of Health, the agency that issues the growing licenses.
"I put in a cannabis order for them [patients] with the office of Compassionate Use register," Newton said. "I have the patient call the dispensary [manufacturer] to arrange delivery of the medicine. Then the dispensary confirms the patient's identification ... and then they arrange for delivery.
"I think the thing that is complicated is that it's relatively new here. So, if you have a physician that's not comfortable with the concept of medical cannabis as a medicine, then they may not be willing to refer the patient to begin with," Newton said.
Hidalgo said the home delivery is within the realm of affordability.
Knox Medical even offers special discounts and cost deductions for poor patients. For other patients, home delivery can cost about $25 for the delivery service in the Orlando area or about $50 for delivery to areas as far away as Jacksonville. The drug itself costs about $90 per 600 milligrams of medicinal marijuana in whatever form it is administered.
"At that point, they make a payment for the medicine and we give them the medicine. It's a fairly simple process," Hidalgo said.
Basically, Hidalgo said, home delivery is about the only simple aspect to the new medicinal marijuana laws that went into effect in Florida.
Even Hidalgo said state lawmakers and regulators will need to hammer out more stipulations surrounding availability of the drug.
"We're getting phone calls every day from patients that have conditions that are expanded but cannot receive the medicine. So, we're all as eager as you [patients] to get directions from the Department of Health," Hidalgo said. "We're all waiting. There's a lot of confusion out there... . It is a very fluid situation and we expect to see some sort of directive from the Department of Health later this month."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Home Delivery Only Certain Thing As New Medicinal Marijuana Laws Go Into Effect
Author: Drew Dixon
Contact: jacksonville.com
Photo Credit: Bruce Lipsky
Website: jacksonville.com
