Florida Senate - 2020                                    SB 1810
       
       
        
       By Senator Powell
       
       
       
       
       
       30-01864-20                                           20201810__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to medical cannabis patients;
    3         providing a short title; providing legislative intent;
    4         amending s. 381.986, F.S.; specifying that a qualified
    5         patient’s medical use of cannabis does not constitute
    6         the use of an illicit substance for purposes of
    7         medical care; prohibiting a qualified patient’s
    8         disqualification from any medical treatment or therapy
    9         solely on the basis of his or her medical use of
   10         cannabis; providing an effective date.
   11          
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. This act may be cited as the “Medical Cannabis
   15  Patient Protection Act.”
   16         Section 2. The intent of the Legislature is to establish
   17  protections from adverse actions for registered patients using
   18  medical marijuana under Article X of the State Constitution.
   19  These patients should not be denied medical treatment, such as
   20  organ transplantation or pain management, or prevented from
   21  receiving other medically approved therapies because they have
   22  engaged in a therapy authorized by the Constitution and laws of
   23  this state.
   24         Section 3. Present subsection (17) of section 381.986,
   25  Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (18), and a new
   26  subsection (17) is added to that section, to read:
   27         381.986 Medical use of marijuana.—
   28         (17) DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PATIENTS PROHIBITED.—For the
   29  purposes of medical care, a qualified patient’s medical use of
   30  cannabis does not constitute the use of an illicit substance and
   31  may not be used as the sole basis for disqualification from any
   32  medical treatment or therapy, including, but not limited to,
   33  organ transplantation and pain management.
   34         Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.