Pot clinic has community responsibility
After years of legislative debate, exhaustive regulatory review and two statewide constitutional amendment efforts, qualified patients will soon be able to enter the Knox Medical cannabis dispensary located across the street from Lake Worth City Hall.
Physicians, caregivers, patients and their families will visit this modern facility to pick up their medicine or learn what steps must be taken to qualify for the Medical Marijuana Use Registry.
Cannabidiol (or CBD) and medical cannabis are improving lives for the chronically ill. It is remarkable that an oil, processed from a cannabis plant using extraction equipment designed for Knox Medical by NASA engineers, can have such transformative results.
We hear heartening stories daily from our patients and their families.
Many people do not realize that cannabis has a long history of treating ailments. Cutting-edge research conducted by leading scientists, particularly in Israel, have documented tremendous medicinal benefits associated with this plant.
Yet for all the excitement the impending opening of the Knox Medical dispensary brings, understandable concerns and legitimate confusion also persists. And we understand why.
Even though 78 percent of Palm Beach County residents voted in favor of Amendment 2, medical cannabis is still a new concept in our state.
As responsible cannabis license holders who earned this permit after completing an exhaustive application process, and are still subject to ongoing reviews by local and state authorities, we must always strive for perfection. We have a responsibility to be responsive to all queries, be it from a lawmaker in Tallahassee, a physician in South Florida, a patient in Palm Beach or our new neighbors in Lake Worth.
We believe it is our obligation to uphold the values of the communities where we operate.
The Office of Medical Marijuana Use within Florida’s Department of Health has set out clear guidelines for physicians and patients.
By law, potential medical cannabis patients must suffer from a serious medical condition, such as cancer, ALS, epilepsy, Parkinson’s or similar ailments.
Only the 1,000-plus qualified physicians in Florida who have passed an exam administered by the Florida Medical Association or the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association can recommend medical cannabis.
Florida has rightfully established a very tightly controlled and carefully administered medical cannabis program to protect the system’s integrity and guard against malfeasance. Once the physician assesses that a medical cannabis regimen is beneficial, only then can the patient be placed in the electronic registry administered by state authorities. Additionally, to obtain their medical cannabis, the patient or their caregiver must apply for and obtain a medical marijuana card from the state Department of Health.
Lake Worth is the first city in this county to permit the opening of a medical cannabis dispensary. Knox Medical, in turn, has a profound duty to operate with extreme care and responsibility.