Florida lawmakers are considering changes to the state’s medical cannabis program as they reconvene Jan. 11 for the 2022 legislative session.
House Bill 679 contains technical changes to the constitutional amendment that legalize medical cannabis in 2016, according to an ABC News report.
“I think the first thing to understand about 679 is this is the first bipartisan marijuana package we’ve really run as a state in five years since the constitutional amendment passed,” Rep. Andrew Learned, one of the bill’s sponsors, told the news outlet. “Just getting both sides to agree on a way forward, I count this as a win already.”
The legislation aims to reduce costs for Florida’s medical cannabis patients by requiring fewer doctor’s visits, extending the expiration dates on registration cards from one year to two, and offering telehealth services to help patients refill their prescriptions, ABC News reported.
H.B. 679 would also regulate delta-8 THC. Learned told the news outlet that the bill changes some of the definitions surrounding delta-8 and helps ensure that delta-8 products are tested and sold only to adults 21 and older.