After two years of figuring out how to operate a restrictive medical marijuana program, Florida officials announced last week that they are in the business of selling weed. However, while this seems like the laws are becoming more unconstrained, some of the latest reports do indicate that ill patients are struggling to get their hands on cannabis medicine, simply because doctors are refusing to recommend.
According to the Compassionate Cannabis Medical Act of 2014, patients suffering from cancer, epilepsy, and other severe conditions can get a doctor to certify them for purchasing a brand of cannabis from a state licensed dispensary. The cannabis is non-intoxicating and completed natural, however, doctors just won’t sign off on it. A report from the Tallahassee Democrat states that there are only 25 doctors in the entire state that are authorized to make these recommendations, which is a small number considering there are an estimated 125,000 people who qualify for the program.
One of the problems is that doctors who want to certify patients must first take an eight-hour online training course. They also must fork over $1,000 dollars to complete the course. Additionally, the doctor must establish a three-month relationship with the patient before even issuing the referral. Not surprisingly, there has been a myriad of problems with the online training course, with reports of the course not functioning properly and messing up, which makes even the most tenacious doctor sick of trying to get certified.
Yet the attitude within the medical community is still in its olden ways, despite new scientific findings that prove cannabis to be natural and healthy. A recent survey by Anzalone Liszt Research fond that 77 percent of Florida voters support the United for Care proposal to legalize medical marijuana in the upcoming election. The same stud from 2014 found support from 69 percent of the voters, showing an upward movement in opinion.
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