Florida Senate - 2022 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT Bill No. CS for SB 768 Ì134610lÎ134610 LEGISLATIVE ACTION Senate . House Comm: RCS . 03/01/2022 . . . . ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Committee on Appropriations (Rouson) recommended the following: 1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 2 3 Between lines 139 and 140 4 insert: 5 Section 3. Effective upon this act becoming a law, 6 paragraph (a) of subsection (8) of section 381.986, Florida 7 Statutes, is amended to read: 8 381.986 Medical use of marijuana.— 9 (8) MEDICAL MARIJUANA TREATMENT CENTERS.— 10 (a) The department shall license medical marijuana 11 treatment centers to ensure reasonable statewide accessibility 12 and availability as necessary for qualified patients registered 13 in the medical marijuana use registry and who are issued a 14 physician certification under this section. 15 1. As soon as practicable, but no later than July 3, 2017, 16 the department shall license as a medical marijuana treatment 17 center any entity that holds an active, unrestricted license to 18 cultivate, process, transport, and dispense low-THC cannabis, 19 medical cannabis, and cannabis delivery devices, under former s. 20 381.986, Florida Statutes 2016, before July 1, 2017, and which 21 meets the requirements of this section. In addition to the 22 authority granted under this section, these entities are 23 authorized to dispense low-THC cannabis, medical cannabis, and 24 cannabis delivery devices ordered pursuant to former s. 381.986, 25 Florida Statutes 2016, which were entered into the compassionate 26 use registry before July 1, 2017, and are authorized to begin 27 dispensing marijuana under this section on July 3, 2017. The 28 department may grant variances from the representations made in 29 such an entity’s original application for approval under former 30 s. 381.986, Florida Statutes 2014, pursuant to paragraph (e). 31 2. The department shall license as medical marijuana 32 treatment centers 10 applicants that meet the requirements of 33 this section, under the following parameters: 34 a. As soon as practicable, but no later than August 1, 35 2017, the department shall license any applicant whose 36 application was reviewed, evaluated, and scored by the 37 department and which was denied a dispensing organization 38 license by the department under former s. 381.986, Florida 39 Statutes 2014; which had one or more administrative or judicial 40 challenges pending as of January 1, 2017, or had a final ranking 41 within one point of the highest final ranking in its region 42 under former s. 381.986, Florida Statutes 2014; which meets the 43 requirements of this section; and which provides documentation 44 to the department that it has the existing infrastructure and 45 technical and technological ability to begin cultivating 46 marijuana within 30 days after registration as a medical 47 marijuana treatment center. 48 b. As soon as practicable, the department shall license one 49 applicant that is a recognized class member of Pigford v. 50 Glickman, 185 F.R.D. 82 (D.D.C. 1999), or In Re Black Farmers 51 Litig., 856 F. Supp. 2d 1 (D.D.C. 2011). An applicant licensed 52 under this sub-subparagraph is exempt from the requirement of 53 subparagraph (b)2. An applicant that applies for licensure under 54 this sub-subparagraph, pays its initial application fee, is 55 determined by the department through the application process to 56 qualify as a recognized class member, and is not awarded a 57 license under this sub-subparagraph may transfer its initial 58 application fee to one subsequent opportunity to apply for 59 licensure under subparagraph 4. 60 c. As soon as practicable, but no later than October 3, 61 2017, the department shall license applicants that meet the 62 requirements of this section in sufficient numbers to result in 63 10 total licenses issued under this subparagraph, while 64 accounting for the number of licenses issued under sub 65 subparagraphs a. and b. 66 3. For up to two of the licenses issued under subparagraph 67 2., the department shall give preference to applicants that 68 demonstrate in their applications that they own one or more 69 facilities that are, or were, used for the canning, 70 concentrating, or otherwise processing of citrus fruit or citrus 71 molasses and will use or convert the facility or facilities for 72 the processing of marijuana. 73 4. Within 6 months after the registration of 100,000 active 74 qualified patients in the medical marijuana use registry, the 75 department shall license four additional medical marijuana 76 treatment centers that meet the requirements of this section. 77 Thereafter, the department shall license four medical marijuana 78 treatment centers within 6 months after the registration of each 79 additional 100,000 active qualified patients in the medical 80 marijuana use registry that meet the requirements of this 81 section. 82 83 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================ 84 And the title is amended as follows: 85 Delete line 19 86 and insert: 87 shelters; amending s. 381.986, F.S.; authorizing 88 certain applicants for medical marijuana treatment 89 center licenses to transfer their initial application 90 fee to one subsequent opportunity to apply for 91 licensure under certain circumstances; authorizing the