TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Medical marijuana advocates gathered at the state Capitol Monday to rail against an attempt by House Republicans to limit the THC content of marijuana sold in Florida to no more than 10 percent, warning of potentially severe health consequences for patients who require full-potency cannabis for treatment.
- THC cap a top priority for House Speaker Jose Oliva
- Group of military veterans spoke Tuesday against Oliva's proposals
- More Florida Government stories
The THC cap proposal was first floated by House leaders during last year's legislative session but failed to advance. With less than three weeks remaining in the 2020 session, House Speaker Jose Oliva (R-Miami) now says passing a cap of the psychoactive ingredient is one of his top priorities.
"We're seeing different strains now in Europe that are 100 times stronger (than traditional marijuana), and we're starting to learn that this has some schizophrenic results, especially in young, developing brains," Oliva told reporters last week.
But at a Tuesday press conference, a group of military veterans who have used full-potency cannabis to treat chronic conditions stemming from their service said the research Oliva is referring to is based on flawed studies. They also warned that capping the amount of THC in marijuana would significantly degrade its medicinal effectiveness.
"We're allowing bureaucratic and political decision making to get between a doctor and patient," said Air Force veteran Henry Cobbs. "These are real options for us, in terms of medications, alternatives, that should be allowed. And it is pervasive across the military - veterans are looking to be able to use cannabis products."
As House Republicans float the prospect of amending a vaping regulation bill to include a THC cap, at least one Senate Republican is preparing for a cross-rotunda fight.
"We're working obviously behind the scenes and, frankly, here, to make sure people know we're holding the line in the Senate, that we think this is a really important issue, that in many ways Florida has turned the corner on medical cannabis, and we think this would take a significant step backwards," said Sen. Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg), a libertarian-minded conservative who supports legalizing adult use of marijuana for any purpose.
Meanwhile, one prominent voice in last year's medical marijuana reform discussions is noticeably absent this year: Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. The governor's tough talk after his 2018 election convinced House leaders to reverse course and repeal a law they had championed in 2017 that outlawed smokable medical marijuana. While a series of new proposals have been filed to further deregulate the drug, DeSantis has refrained from voicing support for them. His stance - or lack thereof - could further embolden House Republicans as they seek to pass a THC cap.
