Hey there everyone! As always, I hope that this post finds you well, and in good health. 2020 has been a “biblical” year, as John Morgan recently put it – and with that has come an unparalleled amount of anxiety, distress, and uncertainty for millions of Floridians and Americans.
Thankfully, around 400,000 of us in Florida have a medical cannabis program to help deal with some of that anxiety – and it just so happens that the program is really starting to develop and mature with the recent addition of edible products to the industry.
There’s a lot going on for this update, so let’s get right into it!
Edible Cannabis Products in Florida (Finally!)
After literally years of anticipation, the Florida Department of Health finally released emergency rules at the end of August 2020 that allows and provides guidelines for the sale of edible cannabis products in Florida.
The significance of this development cannot be understated. In fact, I think the last development for our industry, that was this significant, was when SB 182 was passed and finally allowed for the sale of smokable flower in Florida. The industry experienced a huge influx of growth at that point, and product availability (while highly strained for the first few months) eventually caught up; with that came lower-priced options like “minis”, ground flower, and an overall more mature medical cannabis industry in Florida.
I expect a similar impact to the industry in the months ahead. It may not be quite as dramatic as what happened after smokable flower was legalized, but make no mistake: the industry is going to look a lot different in the coming months. Edible products will likely make up a significant portion of sales for the MMTCs that embrace them – and I expect that most MMTCs will; Trulieve already offers a couple of forms of edible products, and Liberty Health Sciences has already shown previews of edible products they have on the horizon.
Trulieve led the charge for Florida by being the first to introduce edibles to the market with the launch of their “TruGel” gelatin edibles – very similar to Curaleaf’s “sublingual tablets”. See the video below, courtesy of Reddit user attombomb22:
The TruGels have initially been released in Blue Rasperry and Guava Passion Fruit flavors. They followed their TruGel limited release with another limited release of Love’s Oven chocolate chip cookies.
Kim Rivers (Trulieve CEO) also advised that brownies and chocolates are coming soon as well.
Again, I believe the industry will look totally different by the end of 2020. Expect to see each MMTC offer some form of edible product, and I’d also wager that we see several edible-focused product deals and promotions in the coming months as well – particularly around the Holiday 2020 season.
I know many patients scoff at the edibles because of the relatively expensive price: $25 for 100mg worth of THC, when we can easily buy distillate or RSO and make our own edibles at a fraction of the cost. To that, I say this: I agree with the economical assessment, but that isn’t considering the convenience factor. A patient might want to scoop up a cookie for a relaxing day on short notice, or may not like cooking cannabis themselves. They may not feel confident in their ability to accurate dose the edibles – lots of factors come into this. I appreciate the convenience, the novelty, and the fact that we can finally walk into our local dispensary and buy a cannabis cookie. We’ve come a long way since I started this site in 2018.
GrowHealthy releasing Live Rosin through partnership with MPX Extracts on 09.10.2020
GrowHealthy is finally releasing a concentrate other than distillate and RSO, and man, are they making an entrance. For those who don’t know, Melting Point Extracts (MPX) is know as an industry leader, producing highly-reviewed cannabis extracts for several states in the US.
Their first product release will be their Live Rosin. What exactly is “live” rosin? Per MPX’s site:
Our Live Rosin is processed by separating raw trichomes from freshly frozen plant material. These trichomes are sifted and selected based upon size and structure. This process allows for the entire profile of the plant to be obtained without the use of solvents. Once the desired trichomes are obtained, they are exposed to heat and pressure to separate the cannabinoid and terpene-rich profile from the trichome body. Live Rosin is the second-best to experience the full aroma and flavor of cannabis.
MPX Live Rosin Product Page
The live rosin will sell for $80/gram – a relatively low cost for this product in Florida’s market. Initial strains released will be: Emerald City Kush, Islamorada (Florida Keys phenotype), Queso Perro, and Wookie Girl.
Surterra Partnership with Cannabis LAB
This item of news may not be quite as impactful to patients as the previous items on this update, but it still will have impacts on Florida’s cannabis industry.
Surterra (one of Florida’s MMTCs) recently announced a partnership with Cannabis LAB (Law, Accounting, and Business) in order to promote more business-based social interaction and exchange of knowledge in Florida’s cannabis industries. They also state that “media and employment opportunities” will be facilitated through the partnership.
What does this mean for Florida cannabis patients? It may lead to more job openings in the Florida cannabis industry for 2021, which is a huge positive. But reading between the lines a bit, and adding some speculation on my part: I think this will lead to a better industry, and perhaps a more consumer-conscious form of Surterra, in the long run. It sounds like Cannabis LAB helps cannabis businesses become better all-around, which could benefit patients through the downstream effects of better products, shopping experiences, social media interactions, and more.
The joint press release for Surterra and Cannabis LAB offered the following commentary:
“Florida has one of the most vibrant cannabis markets in the country, and we are excited to build this collaboration with Cannabis LAB to provide valuable insights and development opportunities to a diverse range of industry professionals in the area,” said Liz Conway, President, Florida, Parallel. “We believe it is vital to not only equip professionals with the knowledge and skills that are necessary to thrive in this competitive market but to also play a role in helping Florida residents improve their well-being. Under Surterra Wellness retail name, we continue to expand our team members, product offering and presence in Florida, and add new members to our teams, and joining forces with Cannabis LAB will help us reach people from all corners of the state and elevate the industry.”
“Cannabis LAB is thrilled to collaborate with one of the largest and visible cannabis companies in Florida, and we are eager to share Parallel’s wealth of industry knowledge with our business community,” said Robert Friedman, Founder at Cannabis LAB. “The continued support of a world-class company like Parallel will allow Cannabis LAB to advance the organization’s ongoing efforts to advocate for the cannabis industry and pave the way for mainstream business and consumer acceptance.”
This is a unique and interesting development for sure, and I look forward to seeing what comes from it. Perhaps it will lead to a more open flow of communication between patients and MMTCs/dispensaries?
Florida Cannabis: Q4 2020
To sum up the general “theme” of this update: Florida’s cannabis industry is again at a sort of “inflection point”, where I believe we will see a period of significant growth. That coincides with the last quarter of 2020 (Q4), which was full of activity, surprises, sales, and more in both 2018 and 2019.
As I mentioned before, with edible products finally in Florida’s market, I expect to see a lot of marketing and sales focused around them as we head into the Holiday 2020 season.
Historically, the end of the year has also been full of product releases as well – I expect to see more of the same this year.
Sales are also much more prevalent this time of year, and are especially concentrated between Black Friday (late November) and the end of the year. A notable example has been Trulieve’s “Tru 12 Days” campaign they’ve done each year, which is based around the “12 days of Christmas” theme, and offers a unique sale based around a product each day for the 12 days leading up to Christmas. I expect to see this again for 2020, or some form of it – and with edibles as another option this year, perhaps some holiday-themed, limited-edition edibles are on the menu as well.
No matter what your preference or focus is, Q4 tends to have a little something for all cannabis patients in Florida every year. Look for a slew of new products, partnerships, brands, sales, and more as 2020 draws to a close.
For new patients, a bit of advice as well: I recommend that you now start saving an “extra” budget for products during the holidays, if you can. With all the various sales and product releases that happen during this time of year, it may present a good chance to stock up on medication as we head into the new year.
Closing Thoughts
As I’m going through the beginning of my third year as a Florida medical cannabis patient, I find myself excited for the future of the industry for many reasons. Edible products are a huge game changer for our industry, and they are really one of the last major product selections that we were lacking; I can’t wait to see what the various MMTCs will come up with. The industry is about to go into a phase of relatively rapid evolution as it adjusts, and hopefully, the patients only benefit from the new landscape we’re about to navigate.
The last 3 months of the year are always an exciting time for Florida’s cannabis industry, and 2020 might find a way to top previous years with edibles on the table, more concentrates and brand partnerships coming to Florida, and with the general evolution of the industry.
TLDR: The Florida medical cannabis industry is about to pick up speed as we head into 2021, so hang on for the ride!
As always, FLMCC will be here to help you navigate the new products and developments in Florida, just as we always have – since we started this project back in 2018. And again, as always, we thank you for reading, for your support, and for your contributions. We couldn’t do it without you all!
New! – FLMCC Coffee Mugs
I’ve been talking about launching a merchandise line forever, and finally got around to it tonight. The first product is live: the FLMCC Coffee Mug!
These are a great way to support the Collective and have another sleek new mug to add to the collection. They also pair amazingly with great sativa strains!
Here’s a link to the product page: (I highly recommend choosing the black color option!)
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Florida Medical Cannabis Collective 
The coffee mugs are cool! I wanted to purchase a T-shirt but don’t see them here. This site is a factual source of information that I’m starting to rely on. Thanks Man!
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Thank you for the kind words! The sample T shirts I did back in June turned out horrible 🥴 – was ashamed to have my name on that.
Hopefully I can find a better solution though! Will be looking.
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