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Marijuana Advocates Say Card Processing Wait Times are to Blame for No New Growers

April 27th, 2018 by Jake Stofan
The medical marijuana patient registry has grown to over 100,000.
That’s supposed to open up four new growers licenses, but The Department of Health says since only 78,000 patients have received ID cards, the licenses are on hold.
Jeff Sharkey with the Medical Marijuana Business Association says long wait times for card applications to be processed are to blame.
“Not all registered patients are asking for cards, but a lot of them have been and of course as you know historically it’s been very slow in turning that around,” said Sharkey.
The Department says the law requires patients to be active in order for them to count.
It says without a card a patient is not considered active.
With only about 3,000 new cards approved each week, it could be months before the number of active patients breaks the 100,000 mark.
Doctors agree the current 16 to 18 day waiting period for card applications to be processed is too long.
“The card processing is definitely faster then 2 years ago when we had a 90-day waiting period–we had several patients die while waiting for their card, so they never received medicine–but there is still room for improvement,” said Dr. Mark Moore, of Medcan Florida. “I’d like to see a fast-track approval for patients with confirmed terminal conditions, which would help these patients get their medicine sooner.”
Sharkey says it shouldn’t take more than a week.
“There’s not a lot of supply out there statewide. To the extent the department can really expedite this, I know patients really want this medicine,” said Sharkey.
The department has also yet to issue four other licenses, which were supposed to be granted last October.
Top brass at the department face their pay and benefits being withheld beginning in July if it doesn’t issue licenses, and comply with other parts of the law.
So far 13 growers have been approved in the state.

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