With the recent announcement of five nurseries chosen to grow medical marijuana, high times will soon be upon us.
Well, not exactly all of us.
The five nurseries, one of which in Winter Garden, have been selected by the Florida Department of Health to grow Charlotte’s Web, a strain of marijuana that is low in THC and non-euphoric.
Charlotte’s Web has proven beneficial for people, especially children, suffering from epilepsy and other muscle spasms.
The medical marijuana strain has been hotly contested by politicians and citizens alike. But after Gov. Rick Scott signed the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act of 2014 on June 16, 2014, a Tallahassee judge upheld the plans to grow Charlotte’s Web in May 2015.
These are the five nurseries selected to cultivate Charlotte’s Web:
Northwest Region – Hackney Nursery Company
Northeast Region – Chestnut Hill Tree Farm, LLC
Central Region – Knox Nursery, Inc. (Winter Garden)
Southwest Region – Alpha Foliage, Inc.
Southeast Region – Costa Nursery Farms, LLC
Following the judge’s decision, there was a rigorous process for nursery selection. The Florida Department of Health used a 600 page scorecard to determine which of the 28 nursery applicants could grow Charlotte’s Web, according to WPTV.
For a nursery to grow Charlotte’s Web, it must have been in business for 30 continuous years and able to cultivate 400,000 plants. The five selected nurseries now have 10 days to post a $5 million performance bond and must begin cultivating the plants within 210 days, according to a press release by the Florida Department of Health.
