Xanax Instead Of Cannabis For Anxiety: Florida Judge Advises Defendant In DUI Case To Make The Switch

A Florida judge has advised a defendant in a misdemeanor DUI case to switch to Xanax from medical marijuana to treat her anxiety, reported Tampa Bay Times.

Dorothy Vaccaro, a Pinellas County Court judge, told the 21-year-old woman that her condition is not a sufficient reason to use medical marijuana, as per a recording from a January hearing at the 6th Judicial Circuit courtroom. She also repeated several times during the 14-minute exchange that the defendant was too young to use medical cannabis.

"Anxiety can be done a different way, through alprazolam, right? Xanax," Vaccaro said, advising the woman to go to a primary care doctor. "So they can deal with that that way, and there's a drug that they can give you."

Vaccaro's order forbids the woman from using medical cannabis as part of her probation and obliges her to undergo a drug screening.

The Status Of Cannabis In Florida

Florida enacted the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act provided patients access to medicinal marijuana (also known as 'Charlotte's Web Act' or 'Act') in 2014. Then, some three years later came the "Medical Use of Marijuana Act" which specifically governs the state's public health system, implementing rules to make medical marijuana available to qualified state citizens.

Additionally, to implement the rules and regulations of the statute and maintain the Medical Marijuana Use (MMU) Registry, the Florida health department established the Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU).

Trulieve Cannabis Corp. TRUL TCNNF, as the state's largest medical marijuana company, boasts control of nearly 50% of the market. It also supports a campaign allowing already-existing medical marijuana (MMJ) companies to begin selling recreational cannabis statewide.

The Smart & Safe Florida campaign has garnered 841,130 signatures as of the end of April, accounting for roughly 94% of what's required to place the initiative on the ballot.

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