Florida Senate - 2016                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 460
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì151192ÂÎ151192                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                 Comm: UNFAV           .                                
                  02/04/2016           .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————




       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
       The Committee on Fiscal Policy (Clemens) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Before line 16
    4  insert:
    5         Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (5) of section
    6  381.986, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
    7         381.986 Compassionate use of low-THC cannabis.—
    8         (5) DUTIES OF THE DEPARTMENT.—By January 1, 2015, the
    9  department shall:
   10         (b) Authorize the establishment of 30 five dispensing
   11  organizations to ensure reasonable statewide accessibility and
   12  availability as necessary for patients registered in the
   13  compassionate use registry and who are ordered low-THC cannabis
   14  under this section, one in each of the following regions:
   15  northwest Florida, northeast Florida, central Florida, southeast
   16  Florida, and southwest Florida. The department shall develop an
   17  application form and impose an initial application and biennial
   18  renewal fee that is sufficient to cover the costs of
   19  administering this section. An applicant for approval as a
   20  dispensing organization must be able to demonstrate:
   21         1. The technical and technological ability to cultivate and
   22  produce low-THC cannabis. The applicant must possess a valid
   23  certificate of registration issued by the Department of
   24  Agriculture and Consumer Services pursuant to s. 581.131 that is
   25  issued for the cultivation of more than 400,000 plants, be
   26  operated by a nurseryman as defined in s. 581.011, and have been
   27  operated as a registered nursery in this state for at least 30
   28  continuous years.
   29         2. The ability to secure the premises, resources, and
   30  personnel necessary to operate as a dispensing organization.
   31         3. The ability to maintain accountability of all raw
   32  materials, finished products, and any byproducts to prevent
   33  diversion or unlawful access to or possession of these
   34  substances.
   35         4. An infrastructure reasonably located to dispense low-THC
   36  cannabis to registered patients statewide or regionally as
   37  determined by the department.
   38         5. The financial ability to maintain operations for the
   39  duration of the 2-year approval cycle, including the provision
   40  of certified financials to the department. Upon approval, the
   41  applicant must post a $5 million performance bond.
   42         6. That all owners and managers have been fingerprinted and
   43  have successfully passed a level 2 background screening pursuant
   44  to s. 435.04.
   45         7. The employment of a medical director who is a physician
   46  licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459 to supervise the
   47  activities of the dispensing organization.
   48  
   49  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   50  And the title is amended as follows:
   51         Delete line 3
   52  and insert:
   53         terminal conditions; amending s. 381.986, F.S.;
   54         increasing the number of dispensing organizations that
   55         the Department of Health may authorize; deleting a
   56         provision requiring that the organizations be
   57         authorized in equal numbers in specified regions of
   58         the state; amending s. 499.0295, F.S.;