In addition to the existing 14 medical marijuana licensees currently selling medical cannabis in Florida, the state has added eight more operators. The operators were derived from applicants (known in the industry as “one-pointers”) originally denied licenses during the first round of licensing in 2015. As a result of this second round, all original applicants are now approved as medical marijuana treatment centers.
The new licensees include Bill’s Nursery, Inc.; DeLeon’s Bromeliads, Inc.; Dewar Nurseries, Inc.; Hart’s Plant Nursery Inc.; Perkins Nursery, Inc.; Redland Nursery, Inc.; Spring Oaks Greenhouses, Inc.; and Tree King-Tree Farm, Inc.
According to Jim McKee, an attorney for Perkins Nursery, Governor DeSantis and the Department of Health have “resolved significant and expensive litigation surrounding the 2015 application process” through these settlements.
The new agreement worked out by Florida Governor DeSantis requires that these new licensees agree “to provide enhanced patient access by locating a percentage of dispensaries within impoverished communities and rural areas that have been adversely affected by extraordinary economic events or natural disasters.” In addition, all employees are required to undergo more stringent background checks and operators must “adopt security and anti-diversion policies that are more stringent than required under Florida law.”
