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The Timeline To Low-THC Medical Marijuana In Florida

Bruce Knox of Knox Nursery in a video submitted to the state as part of his medical marijuana application.
Bruce Knox of Knox Nursery in a video submitted to the state as part of his medical marijuana application.

Florida approved five growers of medical marijuana: But when will patients be able to access the drug? 
Growers have 210 days to get medical marijuana to patients. That means patients could start getting low-THC medical marijuana by next June.

Robert Holl is a full-time caregiver for his adult daughter, and has registered her for low-THC medical marijuana.

“To have this thing dangled in front of us and the possibility of hope being there and then these bureaucrats dig their heels in and nothing goes anywhere, that’s extremely frustrating,” Holl said.

Knox Nursery will grow medical marijuana for the Central Florida region, which stretches from Daytona Beach to Tampa. Bruce Knox of Knox Nursery said it’s a very tight timeline to get the non-euphoric drug ready by next June.

In a video submitted as part of Knox Nursery’s application to the state, Knox talked about his nursery’s use of technology to speed up cultivation.

“This will be the same way we process medical marijuana here and plant it," Knox said. "What it does is it stabilizes immediately where we can transplant it at a quicker stage so our ability to turn the crop faster will be enhanced with this technology.”

One thing that could slow down medical marijuana: more court challenges. Twice now a judge has brought major changes to how the law is implemented.

“It looks like the process that was ultimately agreed upon after judicial review after rewriting has been followed properly, so in that sense I would hope that there wouldn’t be any more challenges," said Attorney Richard Blau with GrayRobinson.

The drug known as Charlotte’s Web was supposed to be in the hands of patients in January of this year. Central Florida was the most competitive region of the state.

Separately, United for Care is raising signatures to get a broader medical marijuana bill on the 2016 ballot.