Floridians voted overwhelmingly last year to legalize medical marijuana.

  • New medical marijuana dispensary opening in Tampa
  • Patients with verified orders can receive marijuana in oil, gel or vape form
  • Trulieve

But a political battle remains over who can grow it and who can get it. 

Today in Tampa, a medical marijuana dispensary opened for business. Trulieve is opening its third location in the state with a new shop on Dale Mabry Highway. The other dispensaries are in Clearwater and Tallahassee. 

The dispensaries operate much like a doctor's office, and patients with verified marijuana orders from their physicians can shop for approved orders of medical marijuana. 

Florida laws prohibit the drug from being smoked as medicine so Trulieve sells marijuana in concentrated oils, tinctures, gel capsules and vape cartridges. Products typically cost from $15-$70, and the average patient can expect to spend about $10 a day on treatment, according to Truelieve.

"Our goal is to truly be in any area where patients can get quick access to their medicine," said Victoria Walker, with the Truelieve Tampa location. 

Meanwhile, despite last fall's election results, lawmakers continue to apply legislative brakes on medical marijuana.

In Hillsborough County, commissioners put a moratorium on new dispensaries until they received guidance from the state. Commissioners put the moratorium in place so the county could develop zoning and development standards for medical marijuana dispensing facilities. The moratorium expires April 4.

The timeline for adoption of the new rules includes opportunities for public comment on the proposed amendments to the Land Development Code, including:

  • February 2 at 6 p.m. at County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., 26th floor conference room: public outreach meeting
  • February 9 at 6 p.m. at County Center, Board of County Commissioners Boardroom: first public hearing
  • March 7 at 6 p.m. at County Center, Board of County Commissioners Boardroom, final public hearing for adoption of the proposed amendments

Lawmakers in Tallahassee said they are concerned about drug abuse - but also say they are fighting misconceptions over Florida's law. 

"I think most of the rub is trying to keep it away from young people," said State Rep. Wengay Newton, who represents St. Petersburg. "But I think most of what we are taxed with is a lot of the stuff you hear - fears about what happened in Colorado with recreational and this being a gateway to that." 

How quickly other dispensaries will be allowed to open depends on lawmakers. Trulieve beat the clock and received its license before the moratoriums were in place. 

Now, as state House Republicans plan to draft their medical marijuana regulations in the coming weeks, Trulieve is planning more locations. Senate Republicans have already introduced their version. 

Trulieve has plans for dispensaries in Bradenton, St. Petersburg, Miami and Pensacola, according to its website.