Florida’s House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill exempting military veterans from paying state fees to register for a medical marijuana card, which would allow them to get the certificates for free.
On Friday, 110-0 votes were cast by the entire chamber to pass the Alex Andrade legislation.
The original version of the bill would have allowed for more substantial changes to be made to the existing state medical cannabis program. For example, it would allow for home cultivation and reciprocity with out-of-state residents. But the House Health Professions and Programs Subcommittee replaced its language with a two-page substitute that instead would make only small changes to the medical program.
First, the renewal process for medical marijuana cards would be changed from an annual to a two-year cycle.
It would also waive $75 in registration fees and renewing cards for veterans. The bill specifies that “the state may not charge any fee to issue, replace, or renew an ID card for qualified patients who are veterans.”
Rep. Daryl Campbell thanked his sponsor in the house for initiating the bill. He said, “our vets need medical cannabis cards at a higher rate than other people, so I think it’s wonderful that this will help ease their financial burden.”
The law, he said, “simplifies the process and allows people to spend their time on medical marijuana instead of having to navigate complicated procedures.”
If HB 555 becomes law, the changes would take effect July 1.
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In this same month, the Senate passed another bill which would limit hemp-derived THC based products. These include popular THC infused beverages.
This proposal, among other things, would ban any synthetic cannabinoids including delta-8-THC. In hemp-derived products the amount of delta-9 cannabinoids cannot be higher than 5 milligrams in a serving, or 50 mg per container.
Also in the Senate this month, the chamber passed a wide-ranging agricultural bill that contains provisions to outlaw fungal spores that produce mushrooms containing psilocybin or psilocin. This vote was taken a day following the passage of a similar bill by a House Committee.
Rhode Island lawmakers introduce a bill to require healthcare facilities to allow terminally ill patients the use of medical marijuana
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