Florida governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis just signed a bill for the benefit of Black farmers.
He signed bill HB 387 that will extend telehealth renewals on medical marijuana and guarantee Black farmers can actually participate in the industry, Florida Politics reported. Originally, the bill focused on the extension of being able to renew medical marijuana prescriptions remotely. The issue of giving Black farmers medical marijuana license authorization came after.
State Rep. Spencer Roach (R-FL.) said this bill is historic for Florida. “Gov. DeSantis continues to demonstrate his commitment to expanding patient access to medicine, in alignment with the overwhelming majority of Florida voters,” Roach said. The bill was approved unanimously by the Senate after years of fighting. Sen. Darryl Rouson (D-FL.) said it is a step forward in the fight for justice with Black farmers
, falling victim not once but twice – first by the USDA in 1999 and then again in 2016 when Florida voters first approved medical cannabis but didn’t include the Black farmers with licensing. “This bill goes a long way toward giving them justice and giving them the opportunity to participate in the medical benefits of marijuana and the largesse that has been enjoyed by other members of the industry,” Rouson said.“It’s a wonderful day that we have come to this point in the journey.”
According to Health News Florida, the process to give Black farmers licenses was started in 2021 by the Florida Department of Health. The agency received 12 applications that were then evaluated by a private contractor. The license was awarded to Suwannee County-based farmer Terry Gwinn, however, due to legal and administrative issues, it was never finalized. Now that HB 387 has passed, the department is required to award licenses to applicants whose applications have met “all requirements for licensure” by an administrative law judge. Applications that were found deficient will have 90 days to correct the problems.
The law goes into effect on July 1.