American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology held its ACOG District XII meeting August 13-15 in virtual format. One of the breakout sessions was about Medical Cannabis Updates for Ob/Gyns. Dr. Melanie Bone, a board-certified OB/GYN and medical cannabis provider spoke about this topic. She highlighted current attitudes about using medical cannabis in women’s health. Given the current state of research on the topic, she advised practitioners to follow ACOG guidelines which suggest that there is no acceptable use for cannabis in pregnant women. This follows the current guidelines on alcohol and other illicit substances. Dr. Bone did mention that there are groups of women who are using cannabinoids, both CBD and THC, to self-manage hyperemesis gravidarum, the nausea and vomiting that accompany pregnancy. Their use cannot be condoned at this time, although these women could and should be followed prospectively to look for data to analyze that might give better insight into cannabis and its impact on pregnancy.

Dr. Bone spoke about the use of cannabinoids in gynecological conditions as well. She pointed out that cannabinoids can be used in conjunction with allopathic medicines to manage complaints including dysmenorrhea, PMS/PMDD, endometriosis and other causes of pelvic pain, as well as menopause. “At this time, we lack data to justify eschewing allopathic medicine in favor of cannabis, but more and more observational data support utilization of an integration of cannabis with traditional approaches to these common ailments,” she said. “This is a case where the science is slowly catching up to the grass roots practice.” Dr. Bone reports a great deal of success using cannabis to treat anxiety, pain, insomnia, and sexual health, all of which are highly correlated with diseases such as endometriosis and are part and parcel of menopause for a high percentage of women.

For more information, contact Dr. Melanie Bone at mb@drmelaniebone.com.



 Ayr Wellness Inc., a leading vertically integrated cannabis multi-state operator, announced today the opening of Liberty Health Sciences Boynton Beach, the Company’s 40th operating dispensary in Florida.

The Boynton Beach dispensary is located at 1865 W Woolbright Road, Boynton Beach, Florida, 33426. The 1,600 sq. ft. retail store sits within a shopping center with approximately 60 parking spaces and is a 10-minute drive from some of South Florida’s most popular beaches.

The new location features LHS’s expanded selection of offerings, in addition to the Company’s recently launched Origyn concentrates and Big Pete’s Cookies.

Jonathan Sandelman, CEO of Ayr, said, “With 40 open stores in Florida, we now have the second largest retail footprint in the state, with more set to open during the rest of the year. Our plan in Florida is working. Our improved cultivation facility is allowing us to open new stores at a rapid clip and is helping to greatly expand our presence in what is quickly becoming one of the largest marijuana markets in the U.S. As we continue to improve our product mix, Ayr will increasingly become a force to be reckoned with in the Florida market.”



What benefits do you see for patients throughout Florida within this space?

The benefits I see for patients throughout Florida is having access to adjunct or alternative therapies to address common symptoms of anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and insomnia vs. constantly relying on prescription meds that have a host of undesirable side effects when used over time. Opioid/Fentanyl addiction has shattered families across our country, but with cannabis-derived products, especially those that are derived from hemp, there are no psychoactive effects, and the potential for addictions practically non-existent.

What motivates you to be a part of the cannabis Industry?

There are different aspects of this industry that motivate me. For one, all the misinformation out there motivates me because we have the awesome responsibility of properly educating the public and our customers about the truths of Cannabis Sativa L. When a person knows the real story and history of cannabis (marijuana and hemp) in the United States, the support and acceptance for the plants are overwhelming.

What field are you in within the cannabis space?

PūrWell is a vertically integrated hemp company that works with healthcare professionals to formulate products that address symptoms of specific disease states, and we market our products exclusively through healthcare and medical professionals, which allows them to introduce their patients to premium organic products that many are already using, while providing practitioners with another way to build revenue in their practices.

How can people in Florida benefit from the company you represent?

Our products are designed to help people address symptoms related to the four main physical/emotional conditions: 1) Chronic Pain 2) Anxiety 3) Insomnia and 4) Depression, so if they are experiencing any of these or other types of symptoms, there is the potential that our product may help to alleviate and reduce some of those symptoms. Moreover, people who may be looking for the benefits of marijuana without the “high” can confidently use our products with no psychoactive effects (unless it is Pūr8, our Delta-8 THC branded products.) Also, people are becoming more concerned about products made with GMOs, artificial sugars, and coloring etc. … but at PūrWell, we use all natural ingredients. Our products are manufactured in GMP certified labs from USDA certified organic industrial hemp. Our products are non-GMO, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Kosher certified, and all our products are 3rd party lab-tested for potency and safety.

How did you get started within the cannabis industry?

I learned about CBD from a friend of mine that uses marijuana regularly. I had been asymptomatic for 17 years all the while having spinal stenosis and herniated/bulging discs in my spine. One day about 7 years ago, the symptoms presented themselves for the first time and it was AWFUL. I was in so much pain I quickly realized how people can get hooked on pain pills and other detrimental substances. My friend who uses marijuana regularly suggested I try “CBD.” I said to him, “what the heck is CBD?” and his answer is the reason I am where I am today. He said, “it is part of the marijuana plant, but it doesn’t get you high.” That one statement intrigued me so much I responded and said, “how does it NOT get you high?!” and his brilliant response was “Just Google it!” So, I did, and the rest is history!

Are you personally a MJ card holder?

Yes, I have been a proud card holder for 2 years.

Do you see Florida moving forward with recreational Marijuana/cannabis and how will that affect your business

I see Florida and the entire country moving forward with recreational cannabis laws, and I think it will only make our hemp business and our Sales Consultants more relevant and valuable because people are going to be exposed to marijuana around every other corner and they are going to want to get accurate information and answers about what the difference between marijuana and hemp is and what products would benefit them most. I honestly think most of the senior citizens will lean toward hemp-derived products over medical marijuana, and PūrWell will be ready to educate medical professionals and the public about the beneficial properties of cannabis (marijuana and hemp).



By Carol Newman

Cannabis medicine is a rapidly growing sector of the healthcare industry, yet trusted and credible information is hard to come by. For healthcare professionals seeking a career in cannabis medicine, or looking to add cannabis expertise to their existing practice, Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Online and Continuing Education offers advanced cannabis knowledge and skills training in partnership with Green Flower, the world’s leading education provider for cannabis. This program offers expert, in-depth instruction on the medical properties of cannabis.

The Cannabis Healthcare and Medicine certificate is fully online, six-months long and goes deep into topics such as: the endocannabinoid system and fundamentals of cannabis botany, autoimmune diseases, pain, and inflammation, standard care in cannabis medicine, strain selection, dosing, and titration, advanced ECS and phytocannabinoids, as well as geriatrics, addiction, and cancer care.

In addition to healthcare and medicine, programs are also available in cannabis agriculture and horticulture, law and policy and industry and operations. Each program is fully online and takes six months to complete. The online programs are divided into three eight-week courses, which students can complete on a flexible schedule through weekly modules. Participants will complete a portfolio project that allows them to demonstrate their sector-specific knowledge.

“The Center for Online and Continuing Education at Florida Atlantic University is proud of the partnership with Green Flower to offer quality workforce training in the emerging cannabis field. These certificate programs are targeted to meet the needs of our community to provide training for in-demand jobs in Florida, fill the high volume labor market demand in this emerging industry, expand career opportunities with industry specific knowledge and credentials, provide a flexible learning format to fit the students’ lifestyle, and improve the students’ marketability and open career pathways,” says  Jill Rosen, Associate Executive Director of Finance and Continuing Education, at Florida Atlantic University-COCE.

Those interested in learning more or enrolling for these programs can visit fau.cannabisstudiesonline.com. Start dates occur six times each year and October 18, 2021 will be the final start date for 2021.  



New UF/IFAS research suggests Florida growers must carefully select hemp varieties and factor the length of a given day when scheduling when to plant.

Understanding hemp flowering behavior, or how it responds to light and varying daylengths in tropical and subtropical climates has a boost thanks to new research from UF/IFAS published in Frontiers in Plant Science.

Hemp needs sufficient time for vegetative growth to take place before the photoperiod hits, causing the plant to flower. Planting a hemp crop too late or planting a variety that is incompatible with the day length of the region could cause the plants to flower too soon and lead to an unsuccessful crop.

Some plants, including hemp, are highly sensitive to the amount of day length they receive. Modern hemp cultivars tend to originate from temperate regions where the longest day length is around 15.5 hours. In Apopka, average daylength is closer to 14 hours. Key Largo only gets 13.5 hours on the longest day.

“Identifying cultivars that can tolerate Florida’s environmental conditions is key to optimizing the performance of hemp,” said Brian Pearson, UF/IFAS assistant professor of crop management. “Florida’s short day lengths are one of the greatest challenges to hemp success and we wanted to dig deeper to better understand how to grow hemp successfully here since a large amount of our hemp acreage is outdoors.”

Hemp has shown to have optimal photoperiods ranging from 12 hours to 18 hours dependent upon the variety, leaving more questions than answers regarding optimal photoperiod.

“Hemp grown in Florida faces a lot of challenges,” Zachary Brym, agronomy assistant professor said. “From pest and disease pressure to the high temperatures and humidity, there are a lot of factors that can make growing hemp here difficult. The short daylengths present one of the greatest challenges that this research helped address.”

The research team studied 15 cultivars of essential oil hemp and 12 fiber/grain cultivars grown in controlled growth chambers. The goals were to identify critical photoperiod needed to induce flowering, compare photoperiod thresholds to flowering dates within a subtropical outdoor environment, and quantify how hemp cultivars respond under different photoperiods.

Most of the essential oil cultivars and some of the fiber or grain cultivars were found to be suitable for Florida’s daylight hours, but some were sensitive enough that just 15 minutes made a difference in their productivity. So, planting date becomes a critical factor for cultivation outdoors.

The study also found that hemp is very sensitive to low levels of light. Light available just prior to sunrise and just after sunset, also known as civil twilight, is influential to the flowering of hemp. Thus, daylength estimations should include the civil twilight period when determining the photoperiod of a location.

Despite great diversity observed in photoperiod response, the study identified several essential oil, fiber, and grain hemp varieties that responded favorably to daylengths experienced throughout Florida.

“Careful variety selection is extremely important for Florida growers,” Brym said. “It will be important that Florida growers select hemp varieties from southern latitudes and avoid those from the north. Growers should also consider day neutral or “autoflower” hemp that can withstand the heat and humidity of Florida.”

 For more information on UF/IFAS hemp research, visit the hemp resources site at https://programs.ifas.ufl.edu/hemp/resources/.