Broward plans board on medical marijuana

As medical marijuana takes root in Florida, Broward County commissioners want some outside advice about regulating it.

Commissioners plan to create an advisory board to make recommendations about growers and dispensaries, to monitor changing regulations and to educate residents about the benefits and drawbacks of using marijuana. No other county in Florida has such a board, said Commissioner Mark Bogen, who suggested it. Commissioners approved the idea Tuesday. “I believe that this diverse advisory board will be able to provide the commissioners with information and advice that will better guide us in moving forward, such as industry best practices and any legislative changes that come down,”

Bogen said.

Voters approved a medical marijuana constitutional amendment in November; legislators passed rules about regulations during last week’s special session. Gov. Rick Scott has indicated he will sign the bill.

The bill provides for the use of medical marijuana and allows patients to receive up to a 70-day supply and two refills before having to go back to a doctor. It does away with a previous 90-day waiting period for a prescription that was included in a 2014 law. It also bans smoking marijuana.

The list of conditions that qualify for use of medical marijuana includes cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV/ AIDS, PTSD, ALS, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.

The 2014 law allowed for seven licensed medical marijuana growers in the state. The new legislation adds 10 more. Each license holder will be able to operate 25 dispensaries.

The county still has to flesh out how its proposed advisory board would work and have that setup approved by commissioners.

The board probably would make recommendations for future operations that grow, process or dispense medical marijuana in the county. It also would make recommendations about regulations and fees related to the dispensing of the drug.

The board also would collect information about medical marijuana in the county and educate county residents. The board could include representatives from law enforcement, a hospital district, Broward schools, businesses, the county Health Department, academics in the field and individuals.

Commissioners have not yet established zoning regulations as to where medical marijuana dispensaries can be located in unincorporated Broward. Commissioners aren’t expected to consider those proposals until their Aug. 22 meeting.

Some cities have created their regulations or placed a moratorium on any dispensaries being set up until the rules are in place. An earlier county proposal identified one location in Broadview Park for a dispensary —on the west side of State Road 7 south of Riverland Road.

Two other unincorporated sites that could be used for cultivation and processing were identified. One is near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, at Ravenswood Road and Southwest 42nd Street; the other, an interim landfill area on Sheridan Street in far west Broward, near the former Broward Correctional Institution.