Marijuana Business Magazine September 2018

Florida A Florida judge ruled that the state law restricting the number of medical marijuana businesses runs counter to a voter-approved constitutional amendment, a decision that could have far-reaching implications for the state’s MMJ industry. The ruling, if sustained, could open up numerous MMJ business opportunities for entrepreneurs if the state ultimately permits an unlimited number of licenses. Addition- ally, the state’s top medical marijuana regulator resigned in July, ending a controversial three-year tenure marked by liti- gation and a scolding from lawmakers for missing mandated deadlines to issue more MMJ business licenses. Christian Bax had led the state’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use since it was created in 2015. Courtney Coppola, the agency’s deputy director, has been appointed interim director. Maine State legislators voted to override Gov. Paul LePage’s vetoes of two medical marijuana bills. The new laws allow doctors to recommend MMJ for any medical reason and permit caregivers to open storefronts. The legislation also allows six more MMJ retail operations to qualify for licenses and eliminates the cap on retail licenses in three years. In addition, the law creates criteria for third-party extraction facilities to operate legally until regulators establish a new type of license for such businesses.