Page 1 - CANNABIS NEWS FLORIDA JULY 2020

FLORIDA HEMP COUNCIL: One Plant Florida
Doing Everything Right? Dispensary &
You Can Still Get Arrested. Delivery Hub Opens
in Port St. Lucie
The Plight of the One-and-Done
Hemp Farmer page 31
page 29

July 2020

2019 Cannabis Business Award’s Publication of the Year

Great Grandfather of Hybrid Cannabis Says Florida

Medical Marijuana Industry Needs an Overhaul

BY VANESSA ORR for compliance, it is not pro-
ducing a quality product, not
When the state of Florida first established the medical providing users with the
cannabis industry in 2017, they created a vertically integrated choices that they want.
system in which a limited number of companies received med- “We’re now hearing that
ical marijuana licenses, which allowed those businesses to han- many times, patients are say-
dle all aspects of the business including growing, processing ing the product is moldy or
and distributing products. that there are other prob-
Three years later, the state has begun seeing court challenges lems,” said Naya. “But how Michael J. Liss
to this decision, which many—including cultivators, potential can you trust vertically inte-
distributors, and the people who voted for the 2016 constitu- grated companies to be forth-
tional amendment allowing medical marijuana—believe is right and honest? There’s a Will Make
unconstitutional. sense of complicity that
“Did Florida get it right? In some respects, yes, but in most comes from vertical integra-
cases, no,” said Rick Naya, a South Florida native who was tion, and people are begin- Rick Naya It Legal Make
named the “Great Grandfather of Hybrid Cannabis” by Sensi ning to demand third-party
magazine in August of 2018. Naya is currently a New testing to hold companies accountable.” It Legal?
Hampshire state primary cannabis lobbyist who has led the way He adds that there are many ethical companies out there that
to legalization of medical cannabis in that state, as well as exec- operate at a high level of transparency, but that those that do
utive director of New Hampshire NORML. not are benefiting from the fact that competition is limited in BY MICHAEL J. LISS, ESQ.
“Most of the state of Florida is already aware of this; the ver- the market.
tically integrated monopolies that were created are illegal,” “When the medical marijuana arena was created in Florida, The 2020 ballot in Florida will not
added Naya, a certified cannabis grower for the past 40 years. we didn’t realize that lobbyists for large corporations were intri- include an initiative toward recreational
According to Naya, while there are some benefits to a verti- cately integrated with the political system of Florida, so they marijuana. An awaited decision of the
cally integrated market, including the fact that it makes it easier were able to manipulate much of what the citizens of Florida Florida Supreme Court may well deter-
for the Florida Department of Agriculture to inspect facilities Continued on page 35 mine whether an initiative will be on the
ballot in 2022.
The residents of Florida routinely take
the law into their own hands, in that
Cannabis Spotlight instead of relying on their legislators to
pass laws of great public interest, the res-
idents amend the state’s constitution.
Stephanie Kronen What field are you in This is typically called the “ballot initia-
within the cannabis tive” process. This process led to the
2016 passage of “Amendment 2”, which
CURALEAF space? ushered in our medical cannabis system.
I began with Curaleaf work- Florida’s initiative process is multi-
What benefits do you see for patients ing and developing the out- phased. Initially, a potential sponsor
throughout Florida within this space? reach and educational pro- drafts an initiative. The sponsor then
I see those people who qualify to become Florida medical gram. When I first started with must register as a political action com-
cannabis patients benefiting by becoming part of a community Curaleaf 3 years ago we had no mittee so that its financing is subject to
that believes in the power of cannabis and whose goal is to pro- dispensaries, three products oversight. As well as registering, the
duce the safest, purest products to give them the best quality of and physicians really did not group must then forward the proposed
life possible. I know at Curaleaf, we are always looking for have knowledge of the pro- amendment to the secretary of state in
ways to educate and build special relationships within the gram and relied on us to assist petition form. The initiative must be sub-
communities we call home. them. I spent most of time mitted with a title and summary. The
going to every office explain- petition forms gather signatures, and
What motivates you to be a part ing to physicians that, “yes, once a threshold is reached, the ballot
of the cannabis industry? you can actually order prod- summary and title are sent with the pre-
What motivates me to be part of this industry is the ability ucts with THC,” as well as Stephanie Kronen liminary signatures to the attorney gener-
to give people an opportunity to have a better quality of life. I how to navigate this new al, who is required to petition the Florida
have always been into a holistic approach of medicine when arena of medical cannabis. I Supreme Court for an advisory opinion
possible, and this is a wonderful alternative and compliment have since transitioned into the marketing department as the as to whether the measure complies with
with all types of treatments. But what really drives me are the Brand Relationship Manager, where I work on strategic part- law and the United States Constitution.
stories I hear from patients … how they are once again living nerships, brand recognition and numerous other tasks. Once the court determines that the lan-
life, which they were not able to do for a long time.
Continued on page 33 Continued on page 31