A medical marijuana company in Florida is challenging a $1.3 million biennial renewal fee approved by regulators last December and backed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Sanctuary Cannabis, which operates five MMJ dispensaries in the state, argued the fee hike was “an exponential increase” from previous assessments and is seeking an administrative hearing with the Department of Health, according to the News Service of Florida.
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The fee increase is more than 22 times the $60,000 biennial fee operators have been paying for license renewals since the program launched six years ago, the news service reported.
Sanctuary’s petition shows that the state collected roughly $84 million in the 2022-23 fiscal year through various cannabis fees, fines and patient registrations and the health agency projects a surplus of nearly $4 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year and $61 million for 2024-25, according to the News Service of Florida.
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