The Florida Department of Health has 90 days to decide who can grow medical marijuana in Florida. As of late yesterday, 24 nurseries put in 28 applications for five licenses to grow low-THC medical marijuana.
Lawmakers approved a non-euphoric strain of medical marijuana in 2014, but implementation was slowed down by lawsuits. Bruce Knox is president of Knox Nursery, one of the eight nurseries who applied for the Central Florida license.
“We’re happy this part of the process is over," Knox said. "It’s like closing a chapter in a book, I think.”
A spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Health says the agency is committed to getting medical marijuana to children with epilepsy and cancer patients as soon as possible.
So what happens next? By October, the department has to pick the five nurseries who can grow all of Florida’s crop. Those nurseries then have 10 days to post a $5 million bond, and they must start growing medical marijuana by December 23.
And then they have that crop processed into medicine for the patients by July 20, 2016. Of course, all this assumes no more lawsuits.
Another big challenge is getting the word out, said Bruce Knox, president of Knox Nursery, which is applying for a Central Florida license.
“Because Amendment 2 failed," Knox said. “So most people don’t even know the governor signed a bill into law.”
See below for the list of companies applying, and check here to download a list of the 36 doctors who have signed up to dispense low THC medical marijuana.
Company: McCrory’s Sunny Hill Nursery; Region: Central
Company: Loop’s Nursery and Greenhouses Inc.; Region: Northeast
Company: Keith St. Germain Nursery Farms; Region: Southeast
Company: Plants of Ruskin; Region: Southwest
Company: Deleons’ Bromeliads Inc.; Region: Central
Company: Bill’s Nursery Inc. d/b/a Almond Tree Nursery; Region: Southeast
Company: Bill’s Nursery Inc. d/b/a Almond Tree Nursery; Region: Northeast
Company: Chestnut Hill Tree Farm LLC; Region: Northeast
Company: Costa Nursery Farms LLC; Region: Southeast
Company: George Hackney Inc. d/b/a Hackney Nursery; Region: Northwest
Company: Nature’s Way Nursery of Miami; Region: Southeast
Company: Alpha Foliage Inc.; Region: Northwest
Company: Alpha Foliage Inc.; Region: Southwest
Company: Redland Nursery Inc.; Region: Central
Company: Redland Nursery Inc.; Region: Southeast
Company: Hart’s Plant Nursery Inc.; Region: Northeast
Company: Hart’s Plant Nursery Inc.; Region: Northwest
Company: Sun Bulb Company Inc.; Region: Southwest
Company: Treadwell Nursery; Region: Central
Company: Spring Oaks Greenhouse Inc.; Region: Central
Company: Knox Nursery Inc.; Region: Central
Company: San Felasco Nurseries, Inc. d/b/a Grandiflora; Region: Northeast
Company: Tropiflora LLC; Region: Southwest
Company: Dewar Nurseries Inc.; Region: Central
Company: Tornello Landscape Corp. d/b/a 3 Boys Farm; Region: Southwest
Company: Perkins Nursery Inc.; Region: Southwest
Company: Tree-King Tree Farm Inc.; Region: Northwest
Company: Razbuton Inc.; Region: Central
