‘Cancer symptoms don’t stop when you cross state lines’
Florida denies short-term visitors medical marijuana
It’s a problem for medical marijuana patients looking to cross a dream Florida vacation off their bucket list.
Florida doesn’t allow shortterm visitors to obtain medical marijuana at its dispensaries, even if they hold a license from another state. Taking medical marijuana across state lines is illegal.
That means cancer patients are forced to go without medical marijuana or break the law if they want to visit Disney World or one of the state’s other signature attractions.
Jessica Walters, chief medical researcher for CannaMD, wants that to change.
“Cancer symptoms don’t stop when you cross state lines,” she said. “We are forcing patients during shorter visits to go without treatment or take treatment they don’t want to. We have heard of this throughout the cannabis community — complaint after complaint.”
State Sen. Jeff Brandes filed a bill that would let the Florida Department of Health recognize out-of-state medical marijuana licenses from people visiting the state for 30 days or less.
Under Brandes’ proposal (SB 744), visitors would need to provide a $10 fee and a valid order for medical marijuana issued by a licensed physician in their home state. The state would then issue an electronic registration certificate that could be used to purchase no more than a 30-day supply of medical marijuana.
“They should be able to buy that same medicine in Florida without having to go through another set of hoops,” said Brandes, R-St. Petersburg.
What about snowbirds?
Snowbirds who spend at least 31 consecutive days living in Florida each year are able to sign up for a medical marijuana card under existing law. Florida requires two documents to prove seasonal residency. The list of documents
includes a deed, lease, mortgage statement, utility bill or mail from a financial institution or governmental agency.
Patients must have a qualifying health condition to receive medical marijuana. Those health conditions include cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV/ AIDS, post-traumatic stress disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis or a comparable condition.
CannaMD lists numerous other conditions that could qualify for medical marijuana not specifically mentioned in Florida law, such as anxiety, depression, migraine headaches, obesity and vertigo.
More than 2,500 doctors are registered to order medical marijuana in Florida. A consultation isn’t covered by insurance and typically costs about $200 to $300 for an initial appointment. CannaMD’s doctors generally ask for a letter from another physician confirming that a patient has a qualifying condition, Walters said.
The Florida Department of Health charges a $75 fee for a medical marijuana card, and it must be renewed every 12 months. Patients also must be evaluated by their doctor every 210 days (about seven months) to continue using medical marijuana. It takes about five business days for the state to process an application for a medical marijuana card, according to the Florida Department of Health’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use.
In 2016, about 71% of voters approved Amendment 2, which authorized medical marijuana in Florida.
The number of medical marijuana patients registered in Florida soared during the pandemic, going from 300,000 in January 2020 to 636,000 in the most recent report.