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House Health Quality Subcommittee

Cosmetics industry hopeful third time is the charm for reform bill

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Cosmetic manufacturers are hopeful state lawmakers will take action this year to eliminate a policy requiring them to get approval before taking a product to market, a lengthy process that industry officials say goes above and beyond federal requirements. The industry has been pushing for the change for several years now, but think a recent report from the Florida Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability bolsters their calls for change. According to the Feb. 21 research memo,…

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House Health Quality Subcommittee approves medical marijuana implementing bill

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A House panel approved legislation Tuesday that would implement the 2016 medical marijuana constitutional amendment, despite concerns from some advocates the proposal doesn’t honor the spirit of the amendment. The House Health Quality Subcommittee voted overwhelmingly to approve a bill (HB 1397) that would implement the 2016 constitutional amendment. Sponsored by House Majority Leader Ray Rodrigues, the bill would, among other things, maintain the current vertically integrated regulatory structure, only allow terminally ill patients to use vaporizers or consume cannabis…

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House Health Quality panel hears from former Colorado pot czar

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The former Colorado marijuana czar encouraged Florida lawmakers to invest in public education as they begin discussions about implementing Amendment 2. Andrew Freedman, the former director of marijuana coordination in Colorado, told the House Quality Subcommittee that the state should consider investing in public education, even before tax dollars derived from the medical marijuana industry starts rolling in. Freedman said his state waited until they received tax dollars, and officials were “surprised by what people didn’t know.” The state spends…

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Ray Rodrigues: House bill won’t include tax on medical marijuana

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The Florida House will push to make medical marijuana tax exempt, according the sponsor of the yet-to-be filed bill implementing Amendment 2. While lawmakers are in the early stages of drafting an implementing bill, House Majority Leader Ray Rodrigues said the House does not plan to include a tax on medical marijuana in its proposal. The Estero Republican will be sponsoring the House bill during the 2017 Legislative Session. “Obviously our goal is to honor the intent of the constitutional…

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Latest on the legislative staffing merry-go-round

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With a tip of the hat to LobbyTools, here are the latest movements – both on and off – of the legislative merry-go-round. Off: Mandy O’Callaghan has stepped down as policy chief for the House Health Quality Subcommittee. Off: Edward Metzger is no longer legislative assistant for Fort Myers Republican Rep. Heather Fitzenhagen. Off: Adam Miller is no longer district secretary for Jacksonville Republican Rep. Charles McBurney. On: Kelly Milner is the new district secretary for Democratic Rep. Amanda Murphy of New Port Richey. Off: Alex…

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Greg Steube files low-THC cannabis bill

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Sarasota state Rep. Greg Steube filed a bill Thursday that would expand the state’s low-THC medical cannabis regime. The bill — HB 63 — contains several provisions that would substantially lower some barriers to entry for would-be medical cannabis growers and manufacturers, most notably a lack of limits on the number of manufacturers. Under current law, only five vertically integrated licensees will legally be allowed to manufacture noneuphoric low-THC marijuana derivatives like Charlotte’s Web. They must have the capacity to grow some…

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Florida considers 24-hour waiting period for abortions

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Women seeking abortions would have to wait 24 hours under a bill now advancing in the Florida Legislature. A House committee on Thursday approved the bill after hearing passionate testimony. The measure sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Sullivan would require a woman seeking an abortion to talk in person to the physician performing the abortion at least 24 hours ahead of time. Sullivan said she was sponsoring the bill (HB 633) to make sure women were not rushed into seeking an…

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