Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried announced a newly-created Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee, which will collaborate with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to help improve the state’s medical marijuana policies.
“I’m proud to establish the medical marijuana advisory committee to help expand patient access, and to advance and modernize policies to move Florida into the future of medical marijuana,” stated Commissioner Nikki Fried. “This is a plant that not only improves people’s quality of life, it’s an alternative to sometimes-dangerous pharmaceuticals and addictive opioids. It’s a medicine that an overwhelming majority of Floridians came together for, calling for constitutionally-guaranteed access.”
The new 18-member committee will convene telephonically and in-person bimonthly to work through ways to expand patient access, increase innovation and technology in the industry, and make recommendations to the Legislature and the Department of Health’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use to improve Florida’s medical marijuana policies and programs. Cannabis Director Holly Bell will be responsible for overseeing the organization of the committee.
“From affordability to accessibility and safety, we have a moral obligation to act in the best interest of Florida’s patients, and to improve and build progress on our state’s current medical marijuana policies to best deliver this important medicine – and the medical marijuana advisory committee will help us deliver,” shared Commissioner Nikki Fried. “I’m thankful to all of our committee members for their commitment and look forward to working with them on behalf of Florida’s patients.”
Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee Members:
– Kim Rivers, CEO of Trulieve
– Barry Gordon, M.D., owner and Chief Medical Officer of the Compassionate Cannabis Clinic
– David Kotler, partner, Cohen Kotler P.A. and Of Counsel, Hoban Law Group in Denver, CO
– Dr. Michelle Weiner, certified in Interventional Pain Management and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
– Zachary Kobrin, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for a multinational cannabis company and Florida MMTC
– Dan Russell, attorney, Dean, Mead & Dunbar, Russell
– Dr. David B. Corn, founder, Western Massachusetts Podiatry Associates, PC
– Cameron Vance, Ph.D., co-founder and Chief Information Officer at Medical Marijuana Treatment Clinics of Florida
– Sally Kent Peebles, partner, Vicente Sederberg LLP
– Jacel Delgadillo, co-founder of the federal nonprofit CannaMoms
– Eric Stevens, Director of Business Development at Kaycha Group
– Mike Smuts, cannabis industry professional
– Ron Watson, founder of a full-service governmental affairs firm and Director of Governmental Relations for MuV
– Antoinette Duncan, President and CEO of Duncan Life Sciences
– Peter Barsoom, founder of 1906
– Paul Messer, Parkinson’s Disease patient and retired from the contract furniture industry
– Karen Seeb Goldstein, Executive Director of NORML of and Vice Chairman of Regulate Florida
Elaine Geller, Vice President of Legislative Affairs, Amercanex
