Florida’s Medicinal Marijuana industry has had a newsworthy week with lawsuits, court cases, and administrative complaints. To cap off this eventful week, the Department of Health held another Marijuana workshop on Friday, which focused on packaging, labeling, and waste management.
The Florida Department of Health’s workshop on medicinal marijuana packaging and labeling was open for public comments.
The Director of the Florida Department of Health’s Medical Marijuana Program, Christian Bax, explained what information must be legally present on packaging.
“Statute, the name of the medical marijuana treatment center from which the marijuana originates the batch number and harvest number from which the marijuana originates and the date dispensed. The name of the physician who issued the physician certification. The name of the patient. The product name if applicable and dosage form including concentration of THC and CBD. The product name may not contain wording commonly associated with products marketed by or to children. The recommended dose. A warning that it is illegal to transfer medical marijuana to another person. And a marijuana universal symbol developed by the department,” Bax says.
Jodi James of Florida Cannabis Action Network raised some concerns over packaging what she sees as a harmless drug.
“Our concern almost becomes the other direction, and that is waste. People are trying to be environmentally friendly and so all of the boxes, the box that’s inside the box, that’s inside the box, that’s inside the plastic container, ultimately ends being a lot of waste,” James says.
Meanwhile, in Tampa, a 77-year old strip club owner with stage 4 lung cancer won a case against the state over owning his own marijuana plant.
His attorney argued that a voter approved constitutional amendment allowed Joe Redner to follow a doctor’s recommendation of juicing the entire marijuana plant in order to treat his cancer that is in remission.
At the same time, Trulieve, a marijuana provider with 13 dispensaries in Florida, has filed a lawsuit against the state’s dispensary cap. A 2017 law allows only 25 dispensaries across the state, which Trulieve argues is arbitrary and contradicts the state approved licenses already distributed to several business owners.
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