By: Susan St. John
With the legalization of medical marijuana, I could not help but think, could a medical marijuana practice be the next “pill mill” and how could that be possible with the strict requirements set forth in Section 381.986, Florida Statutes. Turns out, only a handful of physicians are prescribing the majority of medical marijuana. While this may at first blush indicate a problem, keep in mind that marijuana, even medical marijuana is still outlawed under federal law and many physicians are not willing to risk a DEA license or possibly a state license to become a physician that certifies a patient for using medical marijuana. If a physician does become a qualified physician and issues medical marijuana certifications, certain practices and behaviors should be avoided.
A Practice with Similarities to a Pill Mill
In May 2019, Department of Health filed an administrative complaint against a “qualified physician” for basically over-certifying the use of medical marijuana. Pursuant to Section 381.986, there are only 13 medical conditions for which medical marijuana may be recommended. Of those 13 medical conditions, one is a bit of a “catch-all” as it is for medical conditions of the same kind or class as or comparable to a list of ten specific conditions, i.e., cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, positive status for HIV, AIDS, PTSD, ALS, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and MS. This is where the physician ran into a problem.Continue reading
