medical marijuana

Bill Wohlsifer Will Remove Cannabis from Schedule I

by Matt Wright

We have been living in an outdated society. The norms of yesterday should no longer be held as the standard today. Unfortunately, the leaders of this country are more concerned with special interest groups, and lobbyists who want to keep Cannabis out of the hands of patients across the country. Historically there has not been a leader who would stand up to these entities and tell them their time is over. There needs to be a person who is willing to go to bat for their constituents and allow them the control to make decisions regarding their medical and personal freedoms. Until now.

Bill Wohlsifer is the Libertarian candidate for Attorney General in Florida. He is making waves in the political world by breaking the mold of the leaders in this country by wanting to put the power of the control back in the hands of the people instead of federally funded bureaucrats who claim to know more about what is best for each individual, rather than the individual themselves. Mr. Wohlsifer believes we, as people, should be able to make decisions on our health freedoms ourselves, without the fear of government or police intervention in our most personal and private decisions.

As evidence of the fact that Mr. Wohlsifer wants to give the freedom to choose back to the people of Florida he has outlined a plan that should be making news across the country, but due to a media blackout on third party candidates he hasn’t been able to get his message out to the people he believes matters most…the voters. His plan would remove the plant of the genus Cannabis completely from Schedule I of the Florida’s Controlled Substance List. This would be an unprecedented action, that would change the way Florida looks at almost every factor of their state.

Mr. Wohlsifer has stated that Cannabis with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) level of greater than 0.8 percent would be removed from Schedule I and moved to Schedule II. Any Cannabis with a THC level of .8 percent to 0.3 percent would be moved to Schedule III and Cannabis with a level lower than 0.3 percent would be removed from Florida’s Controlled Substance List. This would redefine all levels of Cannabis and change the way the world views the medicinal value of this plant.

Once Cannabis has been removed from Schedule I a doctor would legally be able to recommend the plant for medical purposes, without the need of a Florida Constitutional Amendment. Also, by removing Cannabis with THC levels of .3 percent and lower would effectively remove hemp from the controlled substance list, allowing for industrial hemp to be grown and produced in Florida. Mr. Wohlsifer has already outlined his plan for industrial hemp on the website Hemp4Water.com.

This is the type of leadership we need in Florida, as well as the rest of the country. We need leadership not being handcuffed by special interest groups, and back room policy deals. It is time we elect officials who are willing to stand up for what they believe, especially if they believe in giving rights and freedoms back to the voters, as opposed to big government groups whose main goal is to approve the medicines produced by the highest donors.

 

Matt Wright is a writer and political activist living in south Florida. He has a BS in communications and is currently working for the Bill Wohlsifer for Attorney General campaign. To hear more from Matt you can follow him on Twitter at @mrwright79 or like him on Facebook.

Wohlsifer Answers the Call for Help

With Amendment 2 on the ballot in the upcoming election many people, including Jermaine Ingram, are wondering how the dispensaries will be regulated. Jermaine had spent lots of time doing research and attempting to find out exactly what it is that will be required of him to open, supervise, or just work at one of the dispensing organizations that will be opening in Florida in the next few years. 

Unfortunately, Jermaine became concerned about a number of the rules he found, including a rule stating that no felons could work in the industry. This precludes a lot of individuals, including those who have been convicted of non-violent crimes. As many people know, a disproportional percentage of these people are black. Once again the rules were limiting a community that often finds itself being limited.

Jermaine posted on a Facebook group’s wall that focuses on reforming marijuana laws asking for someone to represent these individuals at the upcoming Rules Development Workshop. Bill Wohlsifer saw the post and decided he would go to the workshop on Jermaine’s behalf and speak out against felony disenfranchisement, and a rule that will keep 25% of black Floridians from working in the medical marijuana industry.

Bill went to Tallahassee to sit in on the Rules Development Workshop. He didn’t go there strictly for Jermaine Ingram. Nor did he attend the event for the 25% of black Floridians who, under the current guidelines, will not be allowed to work in the medical marijuana industry. He went there to fight for justice for all Floridians. He wanted to speak for all informed citizens who were unable to attend the event. Mr. Wohlsifer was fighting to make sure justice and freedom prevail in the Sunshine State. 

This is the type of leadership Florida needs in their Attorney General. We need someone who will look over the laws we have in place, and work to protect a demographic that has been systematically discriminated against and held back due to such praxis. We need a candidate who will go above and beyond to help the needs of the voters. We deserve someone who will stand up for their constituents and stand up to make a difference.

This November we need Bill Wohlsifer to be elected our Attorney General.

Matt Wright is a writer and political activist living in south Florida. He has a BS in communications and is currently working for the Bill Wohlsifer for Attorney General campaign. To hear more from Matt you can follow him on Twitter at @mrwright79 or Like him on Facebook.

THE WEB OF CRONY CAPITALISM IS MUCH BIGGER THAN ‘CHARLOTTE’S WEB’

While Florida’s legislators present themselves as though they are acting with compassion to help children who suffer intractable epilepsy, many of the power player’s real objective is to capture market share for their crony friends of the huge marijuana business that is rapidly approaching Florida.  A close reading of SB 1030, ironically tilted the “Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act of 2014” a/k/a the “Charlotte’s Web Bill” reveals it sets the foundation to hand over Florida’s burgeoning marijuana industry to a select few friends of the establishment class.  Charlotte’s Web creates an anti-competitive platform under the guise of compassionate legislation and the Governor has stated his intent to sign it into law.

The proposed law requires that the cultivation, processing, and dispensing of the low level-CBD end-product shall solely be conducted by a single entity referred to as a “dispensing organization.” Under the proposed law there can be no more than five dispensing organizations, statewide. I predict there will be only one. This anti-competitive business model is referred to as “vertical integration.” Ironically, vertical integration is exactly what the Republican majority argued against when insisting that the craft brewery industry must use a three-tier level of distribution contending that would preserve competitive markets. This is what is known as hypocrisy.

It gets worse. Not only must a single entity be the sole grower, processor, manufacturer and distributor of the Charlotte’s Web strain of cannabis from the time it is planted in the soil until placed under the patient’s tongue as an oil, but in order to qualify as a dispensing organization the business must have been “a registered nursery in this state for at least 30 continuous years.” (See lines 185-194 from the proposed legislation inserted below.) I suggest this anti-competitive platform was accomplished purposefully to position a few crony capitalists (also known as democratic capitalists) to be handed the lion’s share of Florida’s marijuana business that will plant itself in our state following the passage of Amendment 2 to the Florida Constitution in November 2014. I further suggest, as I have been stating in my campaign appearances around the state, this was the Republican establishment’s endgame plan all along, despite political propaganda to the contrary. A thirty-year requirement to qualify for market access is unprecedented in any industry I am aware of and certainly has no rational basis to serve as a prerequisite to grow “weed.” Shame on those in the House who introduced and supported this 11th hour amendment.  A new industry that could create prosperity for so many Floridian entrepreneurs is being funneled to a select few.

My heart goes out to the families and patients who will be denied compassionate use because of this highly restrictive Charlotte’s Web bill, which only allows for use as an oil droplet for patients who demonstrate symptoms of seizures or severe and persistent muscle spasms. Aside from the small population this oil will help, a million Floridians will be denied the healing benefits of other derivatives of the cannabis plant which could have been made available by passage of the Cathy Jordan Medical Cannabis Act (SB 962). When I wrote the original Cathy Jordan Medical Cannabis Act in 2012, I purposefully included safeguards against anti-competition like we now see in 2014. The Republican leadership refused to advance the Cathy Jordan Act again this year. Yet they embraced this commercial market grab presently known as CS/CS/SB 1030, Enrolled.

This is the type of politicking and cronyism that inspired me to run for Florida Attorney General. I want to be in a position to protect the interests of ALL Floridians when the legislature has to meet its mandate to create law following the passage of Amendment 2 in November. I do not trust any of the ‘establishment candidates’ to protect the will of the voters where such a huge and profitable market is involved. On behalf of the parents who came to Tallahassee to plead for access to that which is available in 21 other states and D.C., I’m calling “foul” on our FL legislators.

In the 11th hour the following was added to the bill by 7th-generation Floridian, Rep. Matt Caldwell, R-Lehigh Acres:

185 . . . An applicant for approval as a

186 dispensing organization must be able to demonstrate:

187 1. The technical and technological ability to cultivate and

188 produce low-THC cannabis. The applicant must possess a valid

189 certificate of registration issued by the Department of

190 Agriculture and Consumer Services pursuant to s. 581.131 that is

191 issued for the cultivation of more than 400,000 plants, be

192 operated by a nurseryman as defined in s. 581.011, and have been

193 operated as a registered nursery in this state for at least 30

194 continuous years.

Wohlsifer, an attorney in Tallahassee, is now running for the office held by Attorney General Pam Bondi.  Wohlsifer has announced that he will pay the qualifying fee and is certain to be on the November ballot.

 

Matt Wright is a writer and political activist living in south Florida. He has a BS in communications and is currently working for the Bill Wohlsifer for Attorney General campaign. To hear more from Matt you can follow him on Twitter at @mrwright79 or Like him on Facebook.

FLORIDA LIBERTARIAN PARTY CANDIDATE FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL BILL WOHLSIFER SAYS THANKS, BUT NO THANKS FOR MARIJUANA VOTE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                 May 2, 2014                                                  

 

Florida Libertarian Party candidate for Attorney General Bill Wohlsifer publically thanks Speaker Weatherford for placing the House version of what is commonly referred to as the “Charlotte’s Web” bill (HB 843) on the calendar, in the 9th inning yesterday.  “If approved, Charlotte’s Web can bring relief to 125,000 children in Florida who suffer seizures from intractable epilepsy,” said Wohlsifer.  “We have a unique opportunity to help children as the state Senate has wisely realized.”  Wohlsifer released a public statement calling for this action on April 30.

“I am calling on Speaker Weatherford to resist the pressure from Governor Rick Scott who does not want to see this bill move,” said Wohlsifer.  “These children need help now.”

Wohlsifer, who also supports Amendment 2, a constitutional amendment that will legalize the use of medical marijuana in Florida, said he believed that the “Charlotte’s Web” bill had enough bipartisan support to pass the House if the Speaker would post it for a vote.  Yesterday, Wohlsifer was proven correct and the legislation is headed back to Senate with a “message” – a statement of the action taken on the bill in the House on the 59th day of the 60 day legislative session.

Charlotte’s Web refers to a non-euphoric strain of the cannabis plant. The Senate version, CS/CS/SB 1030, received overwhelming approval on April 28, 2014 (36-3).  Following certification in the Rules Committee Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, filed a House amendment to CS/CS/SB 1030, but Gaetz withdrew the amendment the next day, and another amendment by Matt Caldwell, R – Lehigh Acres, if ultimately approved, will add a “highly restrictive, anti-competitive” requirement to the bill according to Wohlsifer.

The Caldwell amendment requires that in order to qualify as a dispensing organization for the non-euphoric strain of cannabis, the applicant must demonstrate that it already possess a valid certificate of registration issued by the Department of Ag for the cultivation of more than 400,000 plants and that it has been continually operating as a registered nursery in Florida for at least the past 30 years.

“There is no rational basis for such an unprecedented requirement of three decades in the cultivation business to grow a simple grass. This is a blatant attempt to stifle free market competition in what is soon be the fastest growing industry in Florida,” Wohlsifer claims. “Crony capitalism is at work in the Sunshine State. The handful of nurseries that will be the only entities allowed to participate in growing this low-level THC strain of cannabis will be purposefully positioned with the first-mover advantage to corner the marijuana cultivation, processing and distribution markets when  Amendment 2 passes in November, which will mandate the growth of large assortment of cannabis sativa plants. Clearly, this bill, which was championed under the guise of helping the children, is a really a power-play at the market share for Florida’s future marijuana and industrial hemp businesses,” said Wohlsifer. There is no other logical explanation; surely, we do not need to demonstrate the ability to harvest two million plants to create an oil to drop under the tongues of 125,000 children.”

“Gaetz, along with Katie Edwards, D-Plantation, were the first to file a low-level THC bill in this year’s legislative session, HB 843, and with good intentions, Wohlsifer continued. The original bill was one-page long.” The metamorphosis of this legislation from compassionate use to big business is exactly the reason you need to elect a watchdog Attorney General in November. The same legislature that tabled four other real marijuana bills and falsely labeled this quasi-pharmaceutical bill a “marijuana bill” is composed of the same legislature that the voters will trust to implement the will of the voters when it comes time to create law to implement the rollout of Amendment 2.  As Attorney General, I will represent the will of the people when implementing Amendment 2, given that opportunity,” Wohlsifer concludes.

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