Green Relief Reminds Florida Residents They Must No Longer Wait for Medical Marijuana

The Orlando-area medical marijuana company Green Relief is reminding Florida residents that the state no longer requires a 90-day waiting period before a patient with a serious disease like ALS can receive treatment.

Florida lifted the 90-day requirement June 24 with rules that implemented changes in the state’s medical marijuana law that voters passed in November 2016.

In the wake of the lifting, Green Relief announced that it was accepting additional patients at its clinic in Kissimmee, which is near the city’s Florida Hospital.

Amendment 2, the legislation that voters passed to change the medical marijuana law, requires the Florida Department of Health to implement the changes before October. It has been doing so step by step.

The new rules cover the production, ordering, and sales of medical marijuana. They include requirements for registering doctors who prescribe the treatment and issuing medical marijuana ID cards to patients qualified to use it.

In Green Relief’s case, qualified patients must first schedule an appointment with Dr. Frank Rodriguez by phone or through the company’s website to determine their treatment options.

Those who qualify include people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and multiple sclerosis.

After the appointment, Green Relief will ask the Florida Department of Health to add the patient’s name to its Compassionate Use Registry. Registration will generate a medical marijuana card, which a patient must present when receiving an order.

A patient can obtain three 70-day supplies before having to return to a clinic for re-examination.

In Florida, medical marijuana is available only as extracted oil and tinctures. Smoking, vaping, and edibles are not allowed.

Medical marijuana can offer relief to patients who are not responding well to traditional treatments or who are experiencing unpleasant side effects from prescription drugs.

Because Green Relief is not a medical marijuana dispensary, certified patients will be able to receive their orders through Knox Medical, Central Florida’s medical marijuana distribution center.

“Our business is unique,” Kerry Barasatie, president of Green Relief, said in a press release. “We specialize in medical marijuana. Our patients receive a thorough medical evaluation and a treatment plan tailored specifically for their condition. A patient will be seen by the same physician on every visit, even after five years. We are always available for our patients, and we are here to stay.”