Commercial Interests Dominate Florida’s MMJ Committee

The Florida committee tasked with creating regulations governing the state’s CBD industry is heavy with commercial interests, but proponents are touting the members’ experience.

The 12-member panel – which will help design rules on how to select, license and regulate the state’s cultivators and dispensaries – includes several people who are in a position to make money from passage of the law.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the committee will be composed of:

– Five growers who will probably compete for one of five regional licenses

– A nursery owner and a botanist

– A lobbyist for a product testing firm who also helped design laws in Colorado and Washington

– A patient advocate representative, a horticulturalist and an anesthesiologist

– A Tallahassee lawyer and the director of the state’s Office of Compassionate Use

Despite the fact that many of the panel members have a stake in the game, pro-cannabis proponents are hoping the appointments means patients will be able to finally get their hands on CBD products.

Florida’s law allows for the production and sale of high-CBD, low-THC oils. The first dispensaries were initially slated to open in January, but legal and regulatory delays have delayed the process.