By Ben Pollara, Florida for Care

For the Ft. Myers News_Press

https://www.news-press.com/story/opinion/2021/02/27/thc-caps-and-broken-promises-ray-rodrigues-medical-marijuana-florida-ben-pollara/6803943002/

“We’re going to treat marijuana like medicine and we will not...tax medical marijuana.”

That was then-Representative Ray Rodrigues back in 2017, a few days after the right to medical marijuana was formally established in our state’s constitution. That right, of course, was made law by the over 71% of Floridians who voted “yes” on Amendment 2 in the 2016 elections. 

Could 10% caps on smokable cannabis be on the way? As written, bill would limit THC levels in smoked medical marijuana products.

By Jacob Ogles, FloridaPolitics.com 

https://floridapolitics.com/archives/407594-spencer-roach-files-thc-limits-on-medical-marijuana

A new bill filed in the House would cap sum of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, levels in medical marijuana in Florida.

Rep. Spencer Roach, a North Fort Myers Republican, filed legislation (HB 1455) that, along with introducing new regulations on the industry, would restrict prescriptions to low-THC cannabis.

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

22 February 2021
Contact: Ben Pollara
Email: [email protected]

OVER 1000 FLORIDIANS CALL ON LEGISLATURE TO OPPOSE A THC TAX ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS
Proposal to cap THC levels at 10% would result in a 50-150% price increase for Florida Patients

By Dara Kam, News Service of Florida

Wow! Just wow.

Florida for Care's members and supporters really stepped up in a big way this last few days and you all deserve and equally big "Thank you!" for how quickly you mobilized on behalf of patients access - and against an arbitrary (and extraordinary!) tax on Florida patients.

I just wanted to take a moment to share - and brag about! - how patients, caregivers, and advocates from all over Florida stepped up and made their voices heard by calling, emailing, tweeting at, and Facebooking their state representatives.

Only since Friday, 421 of you have contacted your legislators, which has resulted in:

If you didn't get a chance to see the mean old lady from Harvard talk about the evils of "high potency" marijuana before the Florida House today...don't.

You can already imagine the Prohibitionist, anti-marijuana, refusing to acknowledge marijuana as medicine, antiquated rhetoric of the 1980s and 1990s - you don't need to hear it again from this lady, trust me.

The bottom line is that the Florida House is clearly headed towards laws capping THC in flower sold at MMTCs in our state.

The Florida House is back at it: trying to cap THC levels in smokeable medical marijuana, effectively enacting a giant tax on medical cannabis in Florida.

Enter your home address at the link below to find your representative, and then call, email, or contact your State Rep on social media and tell them to oppose this new MMJ tax on Florida patients and caregivers!

The Florida House of Representatives wants you to pay 50% more for medical marijuana. Tell them NO. 

***The legislature should oppose any effort to tax patients by imposing arbitrary THC caps on medical marijuana***
***THC caps equal an MMJ tax on patients- period***
***THC caps means that patients will smoke more, pay more and buy more medical marijuana to achieve the same effect***
***THC caps will force vulnerable, immunocompromised patients to the black market***

- The Florida Legislature continues to try and place arbitrary limits on the THC content of smokeable medical marijuana - capping the THC percentages at 10% for any flower sold in an MMTC.

- Capping THC levels in flower would impose a giant tax on medical marijuana patients and caregivers in Florida.

- The average *minimum* THC content for most flower sold in Florida MMTCs is around 15%, with most strains in the 15-25% range of THC percentages.

- That means a 10% cap would equal at least a 50% price increase on the cost of flower and up to 150% or more increase.

- In addition to the potential cost increase, THC caps mean patients have to *smoke* between 50-150% more marijuana to achieve the same or similar medicinal effect.

- THC percentages are not necessarily the most important thing to patients, but they absolutely matter. For the vast majority of patients, there is a direct correlation between the amount of THC consumed and both the strength and duration of the patient’s medicinal relief.

Florida Politics

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