CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Florida Dept. of Health issued an emergency rule that puts limits on the amount of THC that can be in a daily dose of marijuana. It also creates a way for doctors to request exceptions to those limits.

"There was really no warning," said Dr. Deepa Verma. "We actually got an email from the department of health on Friday, basically just telling us that this emergency (rule) got basically put into place. There wasn't anything where they were kind of asking us what we thought about it. So, as a physician, it was a little bit, it was hard to deal with because we're frontline and we're the ones who make those decisions about what to put people on and the dosages."

Verma said medical marijuana is one of the main services offered by her practice, Synergistiq Wellness. She first noticed a change Monday after logging into the state's Medical Marijuana Use Registry.

"I wanted to put in some orders for a patient yesterday, and I did my normal thing and then I had a restriction box that popped up," Verma said.

According to the state's notice of emergency rule, a 70-day supply limit of marijuana shouldn't contain more than 24,500 mg of THC. According to the National Institutes of Health, THC is the substance that's responsible for the impact marijuana has on someone's mental state.

The rule also lays out daily dose limits and 70-day supply limits for items including edibles, inhalation products and oral products. Limits vary from product to product. For instance, the daily limit for sublingual products, like sublingual tinctures, is 190 mg THC, or 13,300 mg for a 70-day supply limit. Salvatore, a patient of Dr. Verma, said that's the type of medical marijuana he uses to treat anxiety. He was among the patients who also received a DOH email Friday.

"I was looking at this chart, and I looked at the information on the script. I wouldn't have a clue on how to determine what that 70-day range is," Salvatore said.

Verma said she's concerned many patients will find the change confusing. Among those she said may be particularly impacted are people who buy large amounts of medical marijuana products during sales in an attempt to save money.

She also said it's not uncommon for her to prescribe amounts higher than the new limits for patients with conditions like cancer or multiple sclerosis.

"These people can barely function throughout the day because pain is so restrictive on them. To me, to get a quality of life is really what we're offering patients," Verma said.

Spectrum News reached out to the department of health but didn't immediately hear back. The state's notice says the department is allowed by Florida law to adopt emergency rules regarding the use of medical marijuana. 

The rule lets doctors request an exception to the daily dose limits.

"That does pose some restrictions on us because now we have to do this extra step," said Verma. "And if it gets denied, then where is that patient left? What are we to do?"

Verma encourages impacted patients to talk with their doctors about how to move forward.