Medical marijuana registration changes move forward in Florida House

A House committee on Thursday approved a proposal that would waive a $75 annual registration fee for medical-marijuana patients who are veterans. The bill ( HB 555 ) also would require the Department of Health to re-certify patients’ eligibility for the medical-marijuana program every two years, while annual re-certification is now required. Florida’s medical-cannabis program has bloomed since voters approved a 2016 constitutional amendment allowing pot for patients with a broad swath of medical conditions.

More than 905,000 patients are enrolled in the program, according to a report posted last week on the Office of Medical Marijuana Use’s website. The bill, sponsored by Pensacola Republican Alex Andrade and approved unanimously Thursday by the House Health Professions & Programs Subcommittee, lacks a Senate version as the 60-day legislative session passed the midpoint this week..