The Economics Tutor

Nowhere in the United States is medical cannabis more accessible than right here in Florida, according to several recent reports from major outlets from across the country. The Miami New Times writes that even though the state legislature has done everything in its power to push back on the program, Florida’s medical cannabis market is the fastest-growing in the country. By the numbers, there are already more than 200,000 people enrolled in the program, with an estimated 10,000 new patients signing up every month. That’s a lot of people finding relief from medical cannabis! According to the Miami New Times, however, the story isn’t the same everywhere. In other states with a medical cannabis program, places like New York and Arizona, the numbers are not quite as high, even though, at least in New York, they have just as many doctors who will recommend the treatment. David Kotler, a South Florida attorney who founded the Medical Marijuana Business Lawyers, LLC told the Miami New Tim...

Last month Rep. Alex Mooney of West Virginia filed a bill in Congress which, if passed, would allow medical cannabis patients to own firearms legally. It would be a big step forward for patients in the medical cannabis community, as current federal law disqualifies patients if they’re  “an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance.” In other words, since cannabis is still considered to be illegal at the federal level, the government bans medical cannabis users from owning guns, even though the state of Florida has legalized the drug. According to a recent report in Marijuana Moment , Mooney’s new bill would carve out exceptions for medical marijuana patients, in essence giving them back the full and lawful rights that they deserve. The bill’s language states that illegal drug users cannot purchase firearms, “except that an individual shall not be treated as an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance based on the individual using marihuana for a med...

According to a survey by the Washington Post, as reported by the D.C.-based National Council for Aging Care , when asked about the benefits of medical cannabis, 90 percent of respondents reported positive results, with more than 2,300 of those being senior citizens. With a total of 7500 people questioned, seniors made up the largest group in the study by far. Moreover, as the Council for Aging Care reported, senior cannabis use rose by 250 percent between 2006 to 2013. Those numbers are, quite frankly, astounding. In fact, poll after poll supports the data that more and more senior citizens are exploring their options when it comes to medical cannabis. For example, over the past 15 years, older Americans approval ratings of the plant have jumped over 15 points, from 29 percent in 2005 to 45 percent today. Anecdotally, seniors who use medical cannabis are found to be less apprehensive over the treatment, once they begin to realize all of its actual benefits. As noted in our FAQ sect...

It’s been almost two years since Florida passed Constitutional Amendment 2 , allowing patients with certain debilitating diseases and other ailments the right to seek treatment with medical cannabis (with a physician’s recommendation, of course). And in that time, hundreds of thousands of people have found relief under the law — 136,000 new patients signed up to receive treatment with medical cannabis in the first nine months of 2018 alone. When first enacted, however, the law, while giving a somewhat strict definition of which conditions qualified a patient to receive medical cannabis treatment, did leave some leeway for doctors to make their own decisions, based on a defined set of criteria. Well, here at Marijuana Doctor, patients are our top priority. We’re always looking for new and better ways to offer treatment to as many people as possible, based on the scientific method and top patient outcomes. With that in mind, we’re pleased to announce that after a rigorous review of t...

Medical marijuana patients in Florida have more reason to celebrate this spring, as the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services has finally finished putting together its list of rules for growers to obtain a license to sell edible products. The news comes on the heels of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ announcement earlier this year that smokeable cannabis would now be accessible to medical marijuana patients as well. Progress has been swift and steady for people seeking medical cannabis treatments in the Sunshine State this year as legislators continue to open up more and more options for patients (and for new patients looking to learn more, the consultation process at Marijuana Doctor has never been easier). According to reports from various news outlets in the state, the edibles regulations would have come sooner, but officials still had concerns over food poisoning and allergen contagion. “That’s our concern because a lot of times the people taking the medical marijuana have compro...

Currently, health insurance plans in Florida do not cover any kind of medical marijuana treatments whatsoever (although here at Marijuana Doctor we do offer a payment plan to assist our patients with the consultation fees). There is a possibility that things may soon be changing for some residents here in the Sunshine State. According to a report in the Tallahassee Democrat , lawmakers in Florida are moving forward with efforts to allow for the coverage of medical marijuana treatments by health insurance companies. “Our constitution recognizes that marijuana is medicine, and if it is in our constitution then companies that provide health insurance to Florida patients should be covering it,” Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried told the Democrat in a recent interview. Right now about 212,000 people are on the state’s medical marijuana registry, which is enough to populate a small city. However, because of federal regulations — including rules and laws put forth by the IRS and the FD...