Doing Business in Florida Blog

Attorney General Nominee, William Barr, and Fixing Florida’s Medical Marijuana Industry

January 28, 2019
Colin M. Roopnarine  |  Medical Marijuana

Once again, the country is poised to welcome another Attorney General – William Barr.  While many questions abound and speculations swirl around his views and stance on many issues, none may be more impactful in Florida than his views on medical marijuana.  There had always been an air of apprehension with former Attorney General Jeff Sessions,

Let’s Talk About Hemp

December 19, 2018
Colin M. Roopnarine  |  Administrative Law, Medical Marijuana

Why are we talking about hemp? Last week, in passing the 2018 Farm Bill, Congress approved the Bill that essentially legalizes the commercial cultivation of hemp in the United States and has removed hemp from the federal controlled substances list. President Trump is set to sign the Farm Bill within the upcoming coming days or weeks.

The Week in Marijuana (November 13-17, 2017)

November 20, 2017
Colin M. Roopnarine  |  Government and Regulatory, Medical Marijuana

It’s that time again. With the start of the 2018 state legislative session in Florida just a few weeks away, the annual ritual of committees, subcommittees, and administrative agencies holding hearings to review proposed legislation has begun.  In this blog, I summarize the current activity at the Department of Health (“DOH”) as it meanders its way through the medical marijuana jungle.

The Week in Marijuana (May 22-26, 2017)

May 29, 2017
Colin M. Roopnarine  |  Government and Regulatory, Medical Marijuana

Just when we thought the medical marijuana furor had quelled while the Legislature mulled a special session to address the implementation of Amendment 2, the “Week of May 22” resurrected what is sure to be a great deal of lively debate in Florida amongst several groups both for and against the implementation of Amendment 2.

Vlog: Cloud of Uncertainty Obscuring the Implementation of Medical Marijuana in Florida

May 21, 2017
Colin M. Roopnarine  |  Government and Regulatory, Medical Marijuana, Uncategorized

This is a very brief overview of the uncertainty in the implementation of medical marijuana in the State of Florida following the passage of Amendment 2 to the state constitution. Click here to watch For more information on this topic, please contact the author, Colin Roopnarine, on the firm’s Government and Regulatory team.

No Funding for Sessions in the War Against Medical Marijuana

May 3, 2017
Colin M. Roopnarine  |  Government and Regulatory, Medical Marijuana

For months there has been speculation whether Attorney General Jeff Sessions would enforce federal law against states that have legalized the distribution and use of medical marijuana. Sessions most recently warned that, “…it does remain a violation of federal law to distribute marijuana throughout any place in the United States, whether a state legalizes it or not.”

The Week in Marijuana (April 24-28, 2017): "Hippies and stoners?…this is about medicine"

April 30, 2017
Colin M. Roopnarine  |  Government and Regulatory, Medical Marijuana

As the Red Queen said to Alice in Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass,” “Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.”

The Week in Medical Marijuana (April 10-14, 2017)

April 16, 2017
Colin M. Roopnarine  |  Government and Regulatory, Medical Marijuana

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.”  Another week has passed and the legislature continues to wrestle with the dilemma known as “Implementing Amendment 2.”