TALLAHASSEE — More than a year-and-a-half behind schedule, a strain of medical marijuana is now available to Floridians suffering from cancer and severe seizures.
A company called Trulieve, one of Florida’s six medical cannabis licensees, received final permission Wednesday from state health officials to process and dispense the non-euphoric marijuana oil statewide.
The oil is low in tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC — which gives marijuana its psychoactive quality — but high in cannabadiol, or CBD, which research shows eases convulsions, inflammation, anxiety and nausea.
It is only coincidental that Trulieve received the final go-ahead from the state on the 47th anniversary of the moon landing. But for many observers, Florida’s stumbling effort at making medical marijuana available seemed almost as monumental a feat.
“We are happy to announce that we have passed all inspections — from growing and processing to dispensing,” said Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers.
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Trulieve, housed in Tallahassee with a growing facility in nearby Quincy, is the first licensee to complete the necessary state review, clear legal challenges and actually have product ready for market.
A 2014 measure approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott originally set Jan. 1, 2015 for when patients would be able to access the medical marijuana.
But delays in setting new regulations followed by lengthy legal challenges involving those seeking licenses stalled the rollout. The state’s Department of Health is still dealing with an attempt by one rejected licensee to gain entry into the potentially lucrative new Florida industry.
The 2014 law was expanded this year to allow the dispensing organizations to also grow full-strength marijuana for patients who are terminally ill. Trulieve said that more potent strain will be available for shipping next month.
Patients seeking medical marijuana must get a recommendation from a doctor who has been certified by the state for having taken an approved continuing medical education course on the treatment.
Once a patient’s name is entered into a registry— also newly established by the Health Department — Trulieve can go ahead and ship the product