Editor’s note: This commentary is provided by the Medical Marijuana Education and Research Initiative (MMERI) of Florida A&M University.
What some medical marijuana patients in Florida may not realize is that a registry identification card is not a license to openly smoke cannabis. Nor does it allow them to use legal treatments other than those recommended to them by a qualified medical marijuana physician
Ron O’Brien has spent seven of his 24 years with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) in the narcotics unit, and he’s currently the chief of the LCSO’s Department of Special Operations and Investigations.
Medical marijuana patients who smoke cannabis in their cars or in open areas run the risk being stopped by police, with the interaction leading to a search and arrest. Chief O’Brien says law enforcement officers can access medical marijuana registry records to confirm a patient’s recommended treatment includes smokable cannabis.
“So, if you’re prescribed edibles and you have marijuana in your possession that’s in a smokable form, it’s illegal because you weren’t prescribed that form,” he says.
But what about when police suspect a patient authorized to smoke medical cannabis is actually using illegal marijuana? Both look and smell the same. Making that determination was impossible, says Chief O’Brien, until police were equipped with new field tests kits that could determine levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient that produces the high.
Medical cannabis cannot exceed 0.3% THC.
Byrallaine “BeBe” Bell has had first-hand experiences with medical marijuana cardholders who were stopped by police for smoking cannabis while driving. She’s the owner of BeBe Bail Bonds in Tampa.
Bell says the consequences of marijuana-related arrests can be devastating.
“An arrest for drugs, whether it’s for a small amount or whether it’s a major amount, changes your life as far as employment goes. Most lose their jobs because they have gone to jail and missed work,” she explains.
Visit https://bit.ly/3KPJVb1 to watch MMERI’s Conversations on Cannabis Virtual Forum on YouTube featuring Chief Ron O’Brien with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and bail bond agent Byrallaine “BeBe” Bell, owner of BeBe Bailsbonds. For more information on medical marijuana and to sign up for the MMERI newsletter, go to http://mmeri.famu.edu.
[EDITOR’S NOTE – Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhw7GnpLAXw]
