Garry B. Gewirtzman, M.D., may be a dermatologist by day, but after hours he trades his lab coat for a detective’s hat as he and his wife Sheila conjure up medical mystery novels. He and Sheila, a retired accountant, have published five medical-murder mysteries, all components of Cliff Mandich, MD Murder Mystery Series. Their recent addition, The Coroner Croaked, is now available in softcover and Kindle versions at Amazon.com. Written for medical professionals and laymen alike, the series will have you hooked on the search for secrets and suspects. Written right here in Plantation Florida, this series is the perfect addition to your beach bag or pool lounge chair.

The Cliff Mandich, MD Murder Mystery series follows a South Florida Dermatologist, Cliff Mandich, and his wife Lauren, who investigate and provide medical insight on unusual murder mysteries happening in the U.S. Sound familiar? The couple chose to portray themselves as the main characters of the series, a true testament to their appreciation and passion for medicine and law enforcement.
 
The Gewirtzmans recently published the newest addition in the series, The Coroner Croaked. The fiction book follows a series of unusual deaths across the United States, in which the coroners “croak” while performing autopsies on the deceased. Dr. Clifford Mandich and his wife Lauren are called in to investigate the deaths and find answers before more deaths plague the nation. The Coroner Croaked joins the previous four editions in the series, Deadly Combo, Deadly Countdown, Deadly Crossing and Miami Madness.
 
The couple’s creative writing career came to be in 2005, when they decided to put their heads together and use their skills to create something imaginative. Dr. Gewirtzman had previously authored three nonfiction books where he dispenses common sense medical advice to the layman. He uses his medical background and education to construct a mystery and crime-packed storyline. Sheila uses her creative writing to transform the storyline into a narrative work. But it does not stop there – they both bring law enforcement experience to the drafting table as graduates of the DEA civilian academy. Dr. Gewirtzman also completed the FBI Civilian Academy. Sheila has visited Quantico and like Dr. Gewirtzman attended a training exercise with a police bomb squad. Dr. Gewirtzman has patrolled with detectives in squad cars and was in the co-pilot’s seat of a helicopter in a search for a missing abducted child. The author pair uses real-world training to elevate the characters and plot in their crime novel series. Together, the husband-and-wife duo cultivates engaging and thrilling crime novels. Their partnership in planning and writing has proven that two is better than one.
 
At 74, Dr. Gewirtzman continues his full-time practice as a Dermatologist at Skin & Cancer Associates, a career he loves and draws inspiration from for his novels. He is a Rutgers University graduate and received his medical degree from Albany Medical College. He is recognized nationally for his medical work; he is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dermatology, a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and served as Assistant Clinical Instructor of Dermatology at State University of New York at Buffalo. He is also a recipient of several AMA and American Academy of Dermatology awards.
 
There is still more to come from the Gewirtzmans, as they work on their sixth novel in the series. They continue balancing their real and written worlds as they work together to bring their books to life. Through it all, they remain happy-in-love, as a married couple and co-authors. Partners in crime are not always criminals – sometimes they are novelists! 

 



One year after the first U.S. death from coronavirus, there is finally a glimmer of hope and enthusiasm as the vaccine rollout continues. As an experienced epidemiologist, I recognize the rapid development of a vaccine for what it is: a scientific breakthrough of profound importance.

I have been vaccinated, and so should every other health care provider, from hospitals to doctor’s offices to nursing homes. We have a shared duty to protect the health and well-being of those we serve, and as we have stepped up so many times – and in so many ways – to serve them, so too should we step up to receive our vaccination.
 
I have found my thoughts turning to the early days of vaccine development. In 1886, Louis Pasteur gave an experimental vaccine to a boy named Joseph Meister, who was dying of rabies. Pasteur didn’t know whether the vaccine would have a significant long-term effect on the boy’s life – all he knew was that Joseph would surely die if nothing was done. Similarly, I know that if we as a population do nothing, this virus will continue to claim a horrific number of lives.
 
Through various leadership positions, including as a state epidemiologist and as a country director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, I witnessed not only the marvel of effective vaccines saving lives, but also the devastation caused by their lack of use. I have been deployed to Africa on projects related to polio and the Ebola virus, and I understand what it takes to stop a widespread outbreak. I am confident the COVID-19 vaccine will be an effective tool in bringing an end to the current pandemic.
 
I am a bit dismayed, however, by reports that large numbers a citizens – including health care and frontline workers – are reluctant to get the vaccine. In December, an internal survey at Miami’s largest public hospital found that fewer than half said they would get the vaccine as soon as it became available. And a Kaiser Family Foundation report that same month found that almost one-third of health care workers were hesitant to do so. While thousands of health care workers have received the vaccine since then, it just takes one person to spread this deadly virus.
 
I believe that all of us in health care have an elevated duty to be vaccinated to protect ourselves, so that we can protect them – and do our part in protecting the community at large.
 
Although the speed with which the COVID-19 vaccine was developed is unprecedented, we should take comfort in the thorough review process it has undergone and the brilliant community of physicians and scientists responsible for its development.
 
This process was boosted by a vast community of highly qualified researchers, in both the public and private sectors, who focused their resources on this mission. The vaccine underwent a thorough process of clinical trials, data collection, and data analysis. The process has also been quite transparent – the data can be found on the Food and Drug Administration website, and the Advisory Committee discussions can be viewed by anyone.
 
I am satisfied that this vaccine is appropriately safe and will be an impactful part of putting the pandemic behind us for the long term. It’s important for the public to recognize that, much like vaccines for tetanus and meningitis, the leading COVID-19 vaccines require multiple doses to be fully effective – and the second dose must come from the same brand as the first. The easiest way for you and your doctor to know which vaccine you received is to ask your vaccination team to add the information into the Florida Shots system.
As we navigate these early stages of the vaccine distribution, we must remember that face coverings, handwashing, and social distancing remain important tools to reduce the spread. Vaccination is the finishing touch to achieve our shared goal of putting this deadly disease behind us.
 
I hope you’ll join me in doing everything possible to keep our communities healthy. We must work together, toward one goal. To end the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, we need the highest possible number of immune individuals in the population. For an individual to become immune, the choice becomes to get either the illness or the vaccine. For me, that choice is clear.


More Transplants More Life (“MTML”) announced its recognition as a tax-exempt non-profit under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to MTML are now fully tax-deductible. Even more importantly, MTML is also eligible to apply for public and private grants. Leveraging grants with matching funds from donors will create more opportunities to improve availability of additional organs for transplantation to those in need. They will also provide support for living donors and recipients.

“This is a major milestone for our growing organization, and we are excited to help support patients on the organ transplant list as well as help educate the community about the importance of organ donation,” commented Louis Betz, President and Founder of MTML.
 
Betz, himself, contracted a rare autoimmune disease that resulted in a double lung transplant at the end of 2018. He learned first-hand about the great demand for organs and that every day people die while on waiting lists – or even trying to get on the list at all. Kidneys, lungs, hearts, and livers are desperately needed. In fact, while in the hospital recovering, one of his fellow patients died while waiting for lungs. It hit him hard; but blessed with a full recovery, he decided to share his experiences and improve the processes associated with organ transplants.
 
Since its original formation in mid-2019 as a Political Committee, MTML has been a growing voice about the importance of organ donation and in support of organ transplant candidates waiting on – or trying to be approved to – the National registry.
 
“This opens many doors for our organization to expand fundraising and increase advocacy on behalf of transplant candidates across the board,” added Betz.


More than 500,000 patients in Florida depend on medical marijuana to help them deal with conditions ranging from epilepsy to PTSD to cancer. Yet two controversial proposals—House Bill 1455 and Senate Bill 1958—are currently making their way through the legislative process, which could change the efficacy of the medications that these patients receive.

These proposals, introduced by Rep. Spencer Roach and Sen. Ray Rodrigues respectively, would place a 10 percent THC cap on smokable marijuana, and limit THC levels in all other forms of cannabis except edibles, like concentrates and powders, to 60 percent. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the main psychoactive component of marijuana. The bills also impose advertising restrictions on doctors who order cannabis for their patients.
 
These proposals are being roundly criticized by numerous groups ranging from physicians and patients to medical cannabis companies and advocacy groups.
 
“This has been a highly charged topic amongst all in the cannabis space; lower THC potency means patients would be forced to buy more, pay more, and use more product, all to achieve their current physician-recommended dosage,” said licensed medical marijuana dispensary Trulievein a prepared statement. “As these laws affect almost every single medical cannabis product, the market as it is today would not exist.”
 
According to Eric Stevens, advisor, Florida for Care, the proposal’s sponsors have not proven a case for the dangers of having more THC in cannabis products. The majority of products currently being used by patients contain approximately 16 to 26 percent THC.
 
“Their reasoning varies, but it is seemingly because they believe that some sort of additional damage is occurring because of these higher THC products,” he said. “While they’re claiming increased incidence of psychosis, when they discussed the bill on March 9, they could not come up with one episode in Florida’s 500,000 patients who have used medical marijuana in the past three years.”
 
This is not the first time that Republican legislators have tried to get this type of legislation passed. For the past two years, similar bills have moved through committees but died in the Senate.
 
“A good number of leaders who were in the House are now in the Senate, which is why they’ve brought the bill back again,” said Stevens. “When we heard that it would be coming back, we offered to provide them with information, but they have not invited one physician up to talk about what’s working or not. It’s interesting that there are no doctors speaking out in favor of this.”
 
Stevens adds that more than 200 doctors have signed a petition against the legislation.
 
The Patient Perspective
One of the main reasons that physicians, among others, are not supporting these policies is because of the negative effect that the proposals will have on patients.
 
“These bills place artificial caps on naturally occurring THC in cannabis and would affect nearly every medical cannabis product sold in Florida today, hurting patients instead of helping them,” said Trulieve. “We have fought these caps on behalf of patients each year it has been brought up, and we will continue to fight for patients.
 
“We have not seen any studies that recommend placing limits on THC potency,” the company added. “Lower potency means buying more, spending more, and even being forced to smoke or vape more, all to achieve the same doctor-recommended dosage that patients can find now.”
 
According to Florida Cares’ data, a 10 percent cap would result in an average price increase of between 50 percent and 150 percent for patients buying smokable flower, and THC caps would mean that patients would have to smoke between 50-150 percent more marijuana to achieve the same or similar medicinal effects.
 
“When you consider that a person has been using a product for multiple years that works, but now they have to find something else or use more and pay more, it’s frustrating,” said Stevens, adding that because these products aren’t covered by insurance, patients are paying out-of-pocket. “Only one or two products fall under the 10 percent THC category right now, which means that you’re asking for four years of research and development to be redone, not to mention that with that limited number of low-THC products, it’s going to be harder for dispensaries to keep it in stock.”
 
Having passed the Professionals & Public Health subcommittee March 9 and the Health Care
Appropriations subcommittee March 18, the proposal is now before the Health & Human Services committee, with a tentative decision scheduled for March 29. It must reach legislators in its final form before May 1 to receive a vote.
 
“Basically, that means that the proposals need to move through all committees by the first week of April in order to get the final version to the House and Senate,” said Stevens.
 
During this time, Florida for Care is continuing to push conversations about the proposals in Tallahassee in order to provide accurate, medically based information to the state’s legislators. It is also encouraging the public to sign a petition online against passage of these bills, which to date, has received more than 40,000 signatures.
 
“They need to understand that this is not what people want—that there are no positives to this approach,” Stevens said. “They need to stop creating the dialog that they want to hear.”


The room in the Knott Building at the Capitol seemed empty, thanks to COVID restrictions and social distancing, when the Representative from Lee County, Spencer Roach, took the dais. For the next twenty minutes, he would explain HB 1455, a proposal that is “taking a wrecking ball to the state medical marijuana program,” according to Democratic Representative Carlos G. Smith of Orlando.

In the days between the bill being introduced and it being heard, over 50,000 people took action to oppose the CAPS.
 
The CAPS Bill, HB 1455, and its companion in the Senate, SB 1958, would limit the potency of THC to 10% in flower and 60% in concentrates, if it becomes law. The bill CAPS the total amount of THC a patient can receive every 35 days. It CAPS free enterprise by making the Department of Health pre-approve advertising for doctors and limiting who can invest in Cannabis businesses.
 
As Representative Roach explained his bill to lawmakers on the Professions and Public Health Committee, advocates in the audience, doctors, patients, and lobbyists alike, were astounded by what they heard. The Representative quoted studies saying pain patients respond better to THC levels under 10%. The studies report THC higher than 10% increases pain responses. The Representative concluded that patients using high THC were really drug seekers and the doctors who certify patients for high THC just want to get rich. He would repeat twice that patients using high THC were more likely to use opiates, more likely to be addicted/abuse opiates, and more likely to suffer from depression as a result of Cannabis use.
 
The bill is bad, but the debate in committee between lawmakers is creating fear and loathing among Florida medical marijuana patients and the industry. Patients fear medicine that works will be taken away from them. Representative Roach agrees no one has died due to Cannabis use. The lawmaker cannot point to any adverse effects from high THC products among Florida patients; yet, the bill continues to move through committees.
 
The Cannabis Community is well-represented in the discussion despite the COVID precautions. Eric Stevens of Florida for Care brought together Dr. Sasha Noe of St. Pete, Dr. Michelle Beasley of Pensacola, and Dr. Barry Gordan of Venice to testify to the success of the program and the need to expand access, not put in limits. John Goodson from Buds for Vets, Robert Roundtree of Sunshine Cannabis, Sean Hardwick of Mr. Cannabis Law, and Josephine Cannella-Krehl of MMJ Knowledge joined me in countering the Representative’s most outrageous statements. Speakers were given thirty seconds at a time to speak. Fortunately, we know the system, so we were able to make the most of our testimony, thirty seconds at a time. Despite our best efforts, the bill passed along party lines.
 
For the second hearing, more patients lined up to tell their story polished to 30-seconds sound bites. Jamie Renee Cruz of Naples, Crystal Silins of Pensacola, Lauren Drake of Santa Rosa County., Breanda Faye Taylor, Ron Watson, and Andrea Anderson of Tallahassee, joined Melissa Villar of NORML, Sean Harwick, Josephine Cannella-Krehl, and me in the committee room.
 
Florida CAN recognizes that advocates change minds and legislators change laws, this is my tenth consecutive legislative season in Tallahassee. Since 2011, the Florida Cannabis Action Network has spent the lion share of our annual budget in Tallahassee bearing witness to the process, teaching advocates the ropes, meeting with lawmakers, and speaking publicly about bills as they move through the committee process. Despite Florida being “open for business,” this session the Capitol is essentially closed.
 
The legislative season is made up of a 60-day session and several committee weeks before the session begins. By taking up residence in Tallahassee for the season, we stay focused on the bills moving through committees. This year, we are forced to testify on Senate bills from a remote location and only those on-the-list are allowed into the Capitol buildings. This lack of access makes it even more challenging to defeat the CAPS bill and get good bills heard.
 
Capping THC potency in products while limiting milligrams in a 35-day supply is a mixture for disaster for patients. Patients who currently use a mixture of products, perhaps salves, tinctures, flower, edibles, and shatter will shortly find themselves out of product before the end of the month. Those patients are going back where they came from – either back to the streets or back to the pharmaceutical cocktails.