{"id":2858,"date":"2021-10-27T13:39:13","date_gmt":"2021-10-27T17:39:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannachronicle.com\/?p=2858"},"modified":"2021-10-27T16:12:45","modified_gmt":"2021-10-27T20:12:45","slug":"locked-out-and-left-behind-the-truth-about-why-florida-refuses-to-award-a-minority-medical-marijuana-license","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannachronicle.com\/2021\/10\/27\/locked-out-and-left-behind-the-truth-about-why-florida-refuses-to-award-a-minority-medical-marijuana-license\/","title":{"rendered":"Locked out and Left behind: The Truth About Why Florida Refuses to Award a Minority Medical Marijuana License."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On June 10th<\/sup>, 2021, Sen. Daryl Rouson, wrote a letter to the current Surgeon General, Dr. Scott Rivkees. Sen. Rouson had championed the inclusion of a license specifically created to create Social Equity in the licensing process by mandating that one license go to members of the Pigford class action suit and the Black Farmers & Agriculturalists Association. The law was passed in 2017, but so far, no license application process had been developed, and therefore no minority license had been issued in Florida.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chairman of the Senate Agricultural Committee, Se. Daryl Rouson. Still courtesy The Florida Channel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He wrote, \u201cDr. Martin Luther King once said, “I think we must honestly face a fact if one gets behind in a race, he must eternally remain behind or run faster than the man in front.” Black farmers deserve a stake in the state\u2019s burgeoning medical marijuana industry\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Florida Legislature\u201d, he noted, \u201cenacted this particular provision in 2017 so that the medical marijuana licenses in our state would have equity when it comes to the production, cultivation and sale of this medicine. The people of this state and the legislature deliberately spoke of the need of black farmers to be incorporated into the medical marijuana business. Years later, the industry has expanded yet there is no equity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Senate Ag Committee demands action.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I am requesting the Department of Health to expedite the rulemaking process so that black farmers and agriculturalists can become licensed.\u201d \u201cAdditionally,\u2019 he asked,\u201d I would like an explanation of the licensing process and a timeline for licensure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Months passed with no response from Dr. Rivkees or the Office of medical Marijuana Use (OMMU).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Interim Committee Weeks approached. Sen Rouson decided that he had waited long enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DOH refused to respond.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a letter dated September 10, 2021, he wrote, \u201cThree months have passed since I requested this information be released and the department still is not following Florida Statute 381.986, requiring the department to issue a license for a recognized member of Pigford v. Glickman.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was time for answers. The deadline for action was years ago. Once again, he utilized his chairmanship to demand those answers. \u201cAs Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, I am inviting you, or your designate, to testify in front of the Senate Committee on Agriculture on September 23rd, 2021, at 9:00 AM. \u2018<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe committee\u2019, he continued, \u201cwill expect information on how the department plans to comply with Florida Statute 381.986 and expeditiously release information and rulemaking regarding the medical marijuana license for Florida\u2019s black farmers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plight of the Black Farmers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

He had also invited D\u00e3nia Davy, Esq. (she\/her), Director of Land Retention & Advocacy for the Federation of Southern Cooperatives \/Land Assistance Fund yo speak on the topic of \u201cRacial Equity in Florida Agriculture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She laid down the history of loss that Black Famers have suffered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n