Medical marijuana treatment centers flourishing in Florida

Florida’s medical marijuana industry continues to grow, with more medical marijuana dispensaries opening doors to treat people who are qualified.

And the popularity among medical cannabis businesses has increased dramatically.

In the last week before the new year, three more medical marijuana treatment centers in Florida have been approved to dispense the plant-based drug.

Among the medical marijuana treatment centers, Trulieve has the most dispensing locations, based on the latest report from the Florida Department of Health’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use.

The number of patients who qualify to receive cannabis continues to expand, reaching 298,659, according to the report. Also, the number of physicians who have completed the required training and obtained licenses to order medical marijuana has increased to 2,619. Patients must get a doctor’s diagnosis to be able to get medical marijuana.

The new dispensing locations approved the week of Dec. 16-20 include GrowHealthy; located in Stuart; Liberty Health Sciences in Brandon; and Trulieve in Orange Park. Overall, the state has more than 200 dispensing locations, according to health department.

The state health department lists qualifying medical conditions for medicinal marijuana use, such as HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, glaucoma, cancer, Crohn’s disease and more.

The Florida Department of Health created the Office of Medical Marijuana Use to oversee the process of licensing Florida businesses to cultivate medical cannabis.

The department offers information and resources for Florida’s medical marijuana program.

To qualify for medical marijuana, a patient must be a permanent or seasonal Florida resident; be diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition, and obtain a Medical Marijuana Use Registry Identification Card.