Knox Cannabis Dispensary and the Golden Almond Health Store
are two businesses on the same street that share the distinction of
profiting from the distribution of products derived of hemp, or
cannabis.
And while the physical distance on Racetrack Road between the two isn’t great, the services provided at each location are very different.
The Knox Cannabis Dispensary is Okaloosa County’s only licensed medical marijuana distributorship and the only one between Pensacola and Tallahassee.
A prescription is required by anyone wishing to obtain the well-secured items available at the dispensary, which include such items as Polaris, a narcotic promising “a heavy feeling of relaxation and cerebral euphoria,” or Sagitta, “known for leaving patients feeling calm, uplifted and relaxed.”
To obtain the required prescription, a patient must first provide evidence that he or she is suffering from one of 10 conditions listed as “appropriate for which medical marijuana can be prescribed,” according to Dr. Michelle Beasley, a supervising physician for the Medical Marijuana Treatment Center.
And while the physical distance on Racetrack Road between the two isn’t great, the services provided at each location are very different.
The Knox Cannabis Dispensary is Okaloosa County’s only licensed medical marijuana distributorship and the only one between Pensacola and Tallahassee.
A prescription is required by anyone wishing to obtain the well-secured items available at the dispensary, which include such items as Polaris, a narcotic promising “a heavy feeling of relaxation and cerebral euphoria,” or Sagitta, “known for leaving patients feeling calm, uplifted and relaxed.”
To obtain the required prescription, a patient must first provide evidence that he or she is suffering from one of 10 conditions listed as “appropriate for which medical marijuana can be prescribed,” according to Dr. Michelle Beasley, a supervising physician for the Medical Marijuana Treatment Center.
The 10 conditions for which medical marijuana can be prescribed by a doctor who has taken the necessary training to do so are epilepsy, cancer, HIV/AIDS, ALS, Parkinson’s Disease, Crohn’s disease, PTSD, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis.
Patients suffering other debilitating illnesses, such as ulcerative colitis, can qualify with two doctor’s signatures, Beasley said, as can people suffering from a terminal condition.
Brian Mobley, the owner of the Golden Almond Health Store, said he sometimes has people come into his store inquiring about medical marijuana, but most people are well aware of the differences between the CBD he sells and the stronger medical cannabis.
“The biggest difference between the two is the ‘high,’” according to the Kono Naturals website. “Medical marijuana contains the psychoactive compound THC. (It) produces a cerebral high many find unpleasant (depending on the individual) and is the biggest reason why medical marijuana is still illegal in many states.”
Along with products containing the high-producing THC, Knox also offers “specialized CBD formulations” infused with the non-psychoactive component, said Knox spokesman Scott Klenet.
“THC and CBD are the two main compounds physicians consider when integrating modern medical cannabis into the management of patients’ conditions,” he said.
THC is used to treat a variety of symptoms from insomnia, lack of appetite, pain, and others.
“The non-psychoactive component, in the right dosages, has shown great effectiveness in reducing the incidence of tremors and seizures in epilepsy and Parkinson’s patients,” Klenet said.
Stores that sell over the counter CBD products are required by law to sell items with no higher than 3 percent levels of THC, too low to produce the euphoric buzz that has made marijuana a popular recreational drug. The THC levels in medical marijuana range between 8 and 10 percent, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Low THC marijuana became legal in Florida in 2014, but its use at the time was restricted to patients suffering serious illnesses like cancer or epilepsy.
It was the federal Farm Bill of 2014 that provided a breakthrough for stores like The Golden Almond by allowing the sale of non-euphoric, less than 3 percent THC, cannabis, and also allowed retailers to use CBD in labeling, Mobley said.
The 2018 Farm Bill, passed just last month, further expanded the freedoms to distribute CBD products, Mobley said.
“It has even more clear language that specifically removes hemp (all parts of the plant, including the flower, stalk, seeds, etc.) from any DEA Schedule class, thereby making it completely legal in all departments of the federal government,” Mobley said in an email. “It also has more specific language on the term ‘CBD’ itself as a legitimate ingredient in food and dietary supplements.”
In 2016, more than 70 percent of Florida voters cast ballots in favor of a constitutional amendment that legalized medical marijuana. The state is still struggling to work out some of the logistics surrounding growing, marketing, prescribing and distributing it.
J.J. Sampley was just 9 years old in 2016 when he was the first person in Northwest Florida to receive legally-grown, state-manufactured medical marijuana. His parents used it to treat seizures brought on by Dravet syndrome.
The marijuana originally provided to J.J. worked for awhile, according to his father, Jonathan, but, now, at age 11, he needs something different, but the doctors who originally prescribed cannabis for him won’t do so any more.
“He needs something stronger, with more THC. The medication he’s on now, he’s getting immune to it, or it doesn’t work. He’s still having seizures and it’s starting to get worse,” Jonathan Sampley said. “But they will not treat a child under 18 at any of the medical marijuana establishments.”
The Sampleys have not been able to find any CBD products that work for J.J. either, Jonathan said.
“I’d give anything to find one that would work to help him out, but they won’t recommend anything so we’re kinda stuck,” he said.
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