Pubdate: Sun, 17 Aug 2014
Source: Tampa Tribune (FL)
Copyright: 2014 The Tribune Co.
Contact: http://tbo.com/list/news-opinion-letters/submit/
Website: http://tbo.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/446
Author: Walter Dartland
Section: Views
Page: 3

'CHARLOTTE'S' WEB RULES

When the Florida Legislature passed the Charlotte's Web marijuana
legislation, it gave the Department of Health responsibility to
develop the immense and comprehensive framework of rules necessary to
navigate such uncharted territory. As with any new set of guidelines,
the first draft is almost never the last, and the department has done
an exceptional job of using public comments to correct rule making
oversights and omissions.

However, there is one area where the department has seemingly turned a
deaf ear to the near-unanimous voice of the public: the use of a
lottery system to award the five licenses authorized by the new law.

By January 1, the department is required to ensure that the five
licenses available to distribute low-THC medical marijuana have been
allocated.

With dozens of potential distributors vying for just the five
licenses, the department has a number of different options for how to
award those licenses. The lottery system envisioned in the
department's current proposal is perhaps the least logical of these
methods.

I cannot fathom that a person choosing a doctor would simply put all
the available names in a hat and draw one at random. But that is
essentially what the department is asking Florida to do when it
chooses who will receive one of the five licenses.

I am also deeply concerned that the current rule language may result
in five state-sanctioned monopolies. Increased competition will ensure
that, in the end, qualified patients receive access to the highest
quality and most affordable treatments possible.

A system that allows all five dispensers to operate statewide rather
than exclusively in just one region will grant consumers the
opportunity to decide for themselves which provider suits their
individual needs.

WALTER DARTLAND, TALLAHASSEE

Consumer advocate Walter Dartland is executive director of the
Consumer Federation of the Southeast.
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MAP posted-by: Matt