Dear Friends and Families,
I am personally reaching out to current and past patients for some timely help.
As you may know, the Florida Board of Health is hosting a series of public meetings over the next couple of weeks regarding Florida’s medical cannabis laws. One of the most important issues being considering is whether a patient’s doctor or the Board of Medicine should decide which patients can be treated with medical cannabis. To better understand the importance of this decision, let me give you some background.
In addition to listing specific diagnoses, Amendment 2 included the phrase “other similarly debilitating conditions.” The authors of Amendment 2 were clear this should be interpreted broadly to benefit the greatest number of patients, and that doctors should be the ones determining which conditions fall in the “other” category. Regardless, the Board of Health is considering giving this authority to the Board of Medicine instead – a group without specialized training in medical cannabis or direct interaction with our patients. I feel very strongly that treating doctors are in the best position to determine which of their patients could benefit from medical cannabis treatment.
I am taking a strong, vocal position with the Board of Health and need your help. I want as many of our patients/families to attend each of the 5 statewide meetings to let the Board of Health know that treatment decisions like this should be left up to your doctor, not the Board of Medicine.
If you are unable to attend an in-person meeting, you can also leave public comments on the official website. Either way, for more information on how to get your voice heard on how to get your voice heard, please click here.
Take good care,
DrDavid