Matt Gaetz's cannabis bill is out and it's mellow

Rep. Matt Gaetz has filed his long-awaited bill to decriminalize specific strains of marijuana to be used for medical purposes.

The one-page bill, with the simple title "Cannabis" amends the state's illegal drug statutes to change the definition for marijuana, basically exempting strains of the plant that are low in tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the compound that produces the high, and high in cannabidiol, or CBD, the ingredient that is believed to help control seizures in children who suffer from epilepsy and other life-threatening diseases.

There's no requirement, however, that the marijuana be safe, certified, prescribed by a doctor, regulated or controlled. Maybe that's to come.

Gaetz, R-Shalimar, told the Herald/Times on Wednesday that after initial resistance from some conservatives in the House, he is now "confident the Legislature will deliver to the governor a medical marijuana bill.” More on that here. 

Here's the key part of the new HB 843:

The term does not include any plant  of the genus Cannabis that contains 0.5 percent or less of
tetrahydrocannabinol and more than 15 percent of cannabidiol; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any part of such plant; or any compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such plant or its seeds or resin.