Florida has 22 medical-marijuana operators. A 2017 law, which created a framework for the state’s medical-marijuana industry, required the Department of Health to grant new licenses as the number of authorized patients increases. With more than 700,000 patients, the state should have issued at least another 22 licenses to keep up with the population of patients. But the DeSantis administration has left the application process in limbo since the governor took office in 2019.
A Florida appeals court has tossed out a bid by a proposed medical marijuana treatment center to force the state to grant its application for a license, saying it sent in its application while the state was not accepting them.
An appeals-court judge this week chided Florida health officials for not following up on promises to grant additional medical-marijuana licenses as required by state law,.
The shot across the bow came as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration continues to delay the issuance of new licenses. Florida should have at least twice as many medical marijuana operators as it has today, but health officials have not granted additional licenses as required by state law. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried called the delay on a license for a Black farmer a “miscarriage of justice”.
An appeals-court judge this week chided Florida health officials for not following up on promises to grant additional medical-marijuana licenses as required by state law, saying potential applicants are “understandably frustrated” and offering a legal playbook for entrepreneurs who have been shut out of the cannabis market for years.