Recently, an appellate court judge chided Florida health officials for failing to fulfill promises to issue additional medical cannabis licenses as required by state law.
District Court of Appeals Judge Ross Bilbrey said Potential suitors are “understandably frustrated” and are offering a legal handbook to cannabis entrepreneurs who have been locked out of the market for years.
Meanwhile, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis The administration continues to delay the issuance of new licenses. A 2017 law that created a framework for the state’s medical marijuana industry required the health department to issue new licenses as the number of admitted patients increases.
With more than 700,000 patientsthe state would have had to issue at least 22 more licenses to keep up with the patient population, doubling the number of operators in Florida.
However, DeSantis has said medical cannabis companies should pay a lot more to operate legally in the Sunshine State. Florida has 22 medical marijuana operators.
The state ‘should charge these people more’ said DeSantis recently. “I mean, these are very valuable licenses. I would charge them an arm and a leg. I mean everyone wants those licenses.”
In addition, the Florida Legislature has since 2016 has issued more than two dozen medical marijuana licenses through the Department of Health to growers interested in entering the MMJ industry. Howeverblack farmers are still waiting for their licenses to be issued.
What happened
Judge Bilbrey cited the state’s delayas he delivered in an affirmative opinion on appeal Louis Del Favero Orchids, Inc.which has long sought a medical marijuana treatment center license, CBS News Miami reported.
Del Favero “Is understandably frustrated by the Department of Health’s continued failure to open the application window and Issue licenses for medical marijuana treatment centers under the Florida Constitution,” Bilbrey wrote, citing a 2016 constitutional amendment.
