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Following a ruling by Judge Karen Gievers claiming the statutory caps on dispensaries unconstitutional, Trulieve Cannabis (OTC: TCNNF & CNSX: TRUL) (“Trulieve”), Florida’s largest medical cannabis licensee, has settled their challenge with the Florida Department of Health. Trulieve’s 14 dispensaries that were established before the statewide cap was enacted are now excluded from the statutory cap.
Trulieve and the Florida Department of Health reached a mutual settlement which specifies that only dispensaries approved after the statewide cap was enacted are counted in the cap calculation for Trulieve. Presently, the law limits the number of dispensaries a medical marijuana treatment center (“MMTC”) is allowed to open based on the number of active patients on the medical marijuana registry. These caps are in place until April 2020. Under this settlement Trulieve will be entitled to 14 dispensaries in addition to the authorized cap amount for as long as the cap remains in place.
“This is not a victory for Trulieve – it’s a victory for Florida’s patients. Our suit was first and foremost about patient access; working around the caps meant we had to build up a distribution model based on the statutorily-mandated geographic distribution instead of where patients live, effectively driving up costs and restricting patient access to the relief they need,” said Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers. “Thanks to this resolution, we will have the ability to open stores in locations where patients live, which will allow us to fulfill our goal of reaching every patient as efficiently, safely, and consistently as possible, including and especially those in more rural areas.”
The suit, filed by Trulieve in April of 2018, alleged that the statutory caps, which were established after Trulieve had been awarded a license to grow, cultivate, distribute, and sell medical cannabis in Florida, were unconstitutionally added after-the-fact and that such restrictive caps were never contemplated during the application and selection process.
In Judge Gievers’ original order, issued in February, she stated that “the evidence clearly and conclusively establishes beyond any doubt that the imposition of regional and statewide caps on the number of dispensaries for each licensed [medical marijuana treatment center] does not support Voter-Approved constitutional goals.”
Presently, Trulieve operates 26 dispensaries throughout the State of Florida, spanning from Pensacola to Miami. As part of the company’s mission to ensure safe, reliable access for patients statewide, Trulieve will continue opening dispensaries to conveniently serve patients’ medical needs.
To learn more about Trulieve, visit www.Trulieve.com.
SOURCE Trulieve Cannabis Corp.
