Emergency Rule Will Give Medical Marijuana Permits to Black Farmers in Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Black farmers with ties to doing business in Florida will be able to apply for one of the state’s highly sought-after medical marijuana licenses in March, according to an emergency rule published this week by state health officials.
The Department of Health will accept applications for the single Black farmer license from March 21 through March 25, the notice said.
The application period will be the first opportunity for prospective medical-marijuana operators to vie for a Florida license since 2015, after lawmakers in 2014 legalized marijuana that is low in euphoria-inducing THC for patients with a handful of medical conditions.
After voters approved a 2016 constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana, the Legislature passed a law creating a framework for Florida’s cannabis industry. Part of the 2017 law required health officials to grant a license to “one applicant that is a recognized class member” in decades-old litigation, known as the “Pigford” cases, which addressed racial discrimination against Black farmers by federal officials.
The law also requires applicants for medical marijuana licenses to have conducted business in Florida for at least five years and have valid certificates of registration as nurseries from the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
The health department in October rolled out emergency rules outlining the application process for the Black farmer license but until late Thursday did not reveal when applications would be accepted.
Industry lawyer John Lockwood called the announcement of the March application window “a significant milestone” for the state.
“This has been a long saga. It’s been a long time coming but it’s due. I think it’s a big milestone that the state has got to a point (where) they’re in a solid regulatory environment now. They’re able to officially regulate the industry but simultaneously fulfill their statutory duties and start pushing out some of these licenses,” he told The News Service of Florida in a phone interview Friday.