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Can an CANNABIS CANNABIS PHYSICIAN
Employer in SPOTLIGHT: DIRECTORY:
Florida Legally Chloe Villano Presented by
Terminate
a Medical
Marijuana
User? page 39 page 37 See pages 43-47

Nikki Fried Sets First Priorities

as Florida’s New

Agriculture Commissioner

BY VANESSA ORR

As an attorney and legal consultant, Nikki Fried fought
for the rights of sick patients who could benefit from
medical marijuana, as well as the needs of foster children
and their families. In her new role as Florida’s agriculture
commissioner, she will be representing the interests of
Lisa Comer every single person throughout the entire state. Dr. Eric Exelbert
“This role is all-encompassing,” said Fried of the posi-
From Cannabis tion that establishes rules for the state's animal, aquacul- South Florida
ture, forestry and produce industries. “It oversees all agri-
culture in the state from the small blueberry grower to
Patient huge cattle operations, as well as the regulation of food Pediatric
stores and food safety.” Nikki Fried
to Advocate ices businesses, including auto repair shops, charitable organizations, fitness studios, Physician Helps
The department also regulates various consumer serv-
and CEO telemarketers, and travel agencies and timeshare businesses, among others. Children with
“We touch people’s lives every day, whether they’re calling about an IRS phone scam,
getting gas, shopping for food or working out,” said Fried. “It’s a huge position that
BY BARBARA FALLON Continued on page 37 Complex Medical

When her family moved from Iceland to Diseases
the United States Lisa Comer assimilated Forecast For Legalizing Marijuana -
into a new country, lifestyle and, unfortu- BY DANIEL CASCIATO
nately, multiple health problems. Partly Cloudy, But Slowly Clearing
Over the years she was misdiagnosed As a board-certified pediatric intensive
and treated with multiple pharmaceuticals care physician, Eric Exelbert, M.D., spe-
for a variety of issues without positive BY STEPHEN H. SIEGEL, ESQ., OF COUNSEL cializes in complex medical cases in which
health results. She felt accused and admon- patients do not respond to traditional treat-
ished for contributing to her medical In the 2018 mid-term elections, marijuana legalization, ments.
issues and soon was ashamed of what she for either medicinal or recreational use, was an issue on
“There’s nothing I have not seen in the
perceived to be her inability to overcome some states’ ballots. It also was an issue that candidates for last 20 years of my life as an intensive care
the symptoms. office needed to address. The results of those elections physician,” says Dr. Exelbert, founder of
Eventually she married and had two suggest that the efforts to legalize some uses of marijuana
babies. During her pregnancies and breast- are progressing. ExAlt Med in South Florida. “I feel very
comfortable seeing patients who have a
feeding years, her symptoms subsided, and complex case and may not even know
her medication dosages and the side effects FEDERAL PERSPECTIVE what they have.”
they caused were lessened. But after that House of Representatives Dr. Exelbert sees patients of all ages and
she got sick again. At her worst she was The Democratic Party’s majority in the House generally all diagnoses, and he has great interest and
suffering seizures and weighed only 88 lbs. is viewed as favorable to the passage of federal legislation
on a 5’5’’ frame and she was losing hope. liberalizing the use of marijuana, at least for medicinal Stephen H. Siegel expertise in complex pediatric and adult
The natural hormonal changes during her purposes. In October, Representative Earl Blumenauer cases. Sometimes, these complex cases
may require a non-traditional treatment
pre and post-partum child rearing experi- (D-OR) published a “Blueprint to Legalize Marijuana”. The goal of the Blueprint is to approach such as the use of medical
ences suggested that she may not suffer remove federal regulation of marijuana by 2019. Importantly, Representative Blumenauer
epilepsy and that her medications may be has obtained bipartisan support for his effort. Earlier this year Representative David Joyce cannabis when other methods are simply
contributing to her symptoms. She (D-OH) introduced legislation to eliminate enforcement of current federal laws in juris- ineffective. Registered in the Medical
Marijuana Use Registry, Dr. Exelbert is
changed physicians, tried medical marijua- dictions that legalize marijuana for medical or recreational purposes. In addition to a authorized to use medical cannabis for
na and fought her way back to good change in party control, Representative Pete Sessions (R-TX), a significant opponent of
health. She has spent the last several years marijuana liberalization and who otherwise would have been former chair of the House qualifying patients.
Through his pediatric ICU experience,
advocating for others through use of Rules Committee, lost his seat. Dr. Exelbert has amassed significant
medicinal marijuana. The Democrats’ success also resulted in loss of some Republican supporters of legal- understanding of the endocannabinoid
She routinely shares her background ized marijuana. Probably the most significant loss was Representative Dana Rohrabacher
with those who fear or are pre-disposed to (R-CA), who had sponsored amendments to the budget that prevented the federal gov- system, a network of endogenous cannabi-
noid receptors that are located primarily
reject the value of cannabis but are frus- ernment from prosecuting criminally most cases involving the possession, distribution or throughout the mammalian immune and
trated from lack of recovery despite multi- use of marijuana. Representative Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), who had fought for legislation nervous systems. The endocannabinoid
ple drug regimens. permitting marijuana businesses to claim their costs as legitimate business deductions on system mediates the therapeutic effects of
“’I grew up in a conservative family and their federal income taxes, also was defeated.
Continued on page 36
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