A House subcommittee in Florida voted on Thursday to advance a medical marijuana bill that would waive patient registration and renewal fees for service-disabled military veterans, approving the measure from Rep. Susan L. Valdés (D) on a 14–1 vote.
“Medical cannabis has shown promise in alleviating symptoms commonly experienced by military veterans, like managing chronic pain, alleviating the effects of PTSD, improving sleep and reducing the dependency of opioids,” Valdés said of her legislation, HB 1435. “This bill will eliminate the financial barriers that veterans face when accessing medical marijuana, their chosen healthcare solution.”
Currently, it costs $75 annually to maintain registration in the state’s medical marijuana program.
Before moving the bill, members of the House Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee first adopted a striking amendment from Valdés that revised the measure to specify that it applies only to “service-disabled” veterans rather than veterans more generally. Would-be patients would need to include a DD-214 form—military discharge papers—in their application for a medical marijuana ID card.
The measure has support from a number of advocates and organizations, including NORML Tallahassee and the Florida Cannabis Action Network.
The lawmaker who cast the one no vote, Rep. Kimberly Berfield (R), did not explain her opposition
Read full article on Marijuana Moment
