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Florida Moves To Implement Medical Marijuana Without Lawmakers Input

Orange County leaders are considering a ban on medical marijuana dispensaries.
Orange County leaders are considering a ban on medical marijuana dispensaries.

Florida voters overwhelmingly passed medical marijuana last election. Now what?

The Florida Legislative session ended without a deal on medical marijuana. The biggest fights were over how many growers to allow and how many retail outlets they could operate.

So now, to meet deadlines baked into Amendment 2, the Florida Department of Health put a notice out this week that it will develop medical marijuana rules without lawmakers input.

What’s more, they plan to do it with more executive authority than usual. That would potentially bypass challenges that have dogged the department after Florida passed a medical marijuana bill in 2014.

A judge ruled this week that the Florida Department of Health must award two more medical marijuana growing licenses. That means Florida will have nine growers.