Today, the Florida Department of Health announced the five dispensing organizations approved to provide patients with intractable epilepsy and people with advanced cancer access to low-THC cannabis. The five approved organizations are:
Northwest Region – Hackney Nursery Company
Northeast Region – Chestnut Hill Tree Farm, LLC
Central Region – Knox Nursery, Inc.
Southwest Region – Alpha Foliage, Inc.
Southeast Region – Costa Nursery Farms, LLC
The process and timeline for cultivation, processing and dispensing to patients is set forth in rule and statute. The approved organizations have 10 business days to post a $5 million performance bond. If an approved applicant fails to post the performance bond within the required timeframe, the applicant with the next highest score in the dispensing region will be selected and notified. Approved dispensing organizations must request cultivation authority within 75 days of being notified of their selection and begin cultivation within 210 days of receiving cultivation authority.
The department has initiated administrative rulemaking to establish the protocol for the inspection of the five dispensing organizations. A workshop will be held on Dec. 9 at the Department of Health in Tallahassee.
For more information about the Office of Compassionate Use, please visit http://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/office-of-compassionate-use/