Curaleaf sold smokeable medical marijuana to Orlando patients for the first time Monday.
The medical marijuana treatment center got the green light from state regulators to sell whole flower cannabis one week after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law. While previous medical marijuana products were sold as oils in a bottle or processed cannabis in a vape cartridge, this new cannabis looks like, well, pot.
“We are carrying three different strain varieties," said Vinit Patel, the dispensary operations manager for Curaleaf’s Orlando location. "We only have the one size currently, but we will have several different packaging availabilities in the very near future, it just depends on what the state approves for us."
Patients will have to get a new recommendation from a doctor that smoking is the best option for them. Under the new law, patients can get up to 2.5 ounces every 35 days, but can’t have more than 4 ounces on hand at any time.
There are more than 197,000 active medical marijuana patients in Florida. Analysts expect that number to grow because of the change in law.
