A Florida judge has advised a 21-year-old-defendant who uses medical cannabis to treat anxiety to switch to Xanax, as her condition is not a “sufficient reason” to use medical cannabis.
During a January trial, the defendant appeared in front of Pinellas County Court judge Dorothy Vaccaro to face a DUI charge, where the defendant revealed that they used medical cannabis to treat anxiety. The judge said the defendant likely didn’t suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or cancer and didn’t need medical cannabis and that anxiety was not a sufficient reason to use medical cannabis.
“Anxiety can be done a different way, through alprazolam, right? Xanax,” Vaccaro said, suggesting that the defendant visit a primary care physician, “So they can deal with that that way, and there’s a drug that they can give you.”
The judge ordered the defendant to stop using cannabis as part of their probation and was also repeatedly told they were too young to be using cannabis medically. The defendant was told they would be arrested without bond if they continued to use medical cannabis and they would have to undergo drug screenings. Judge Vacaro added they would reconsider the order to stop using cannabis if the defendant got “all wiggy” on Xanax or if they were provided with a letter from another physician recommending medical cannabis.
Stephen Thompson, a spokesperson for the 6th Judicial Circuit, said the judge was just offering an alternative to medical cannabis and wasn’t ordering the defendant. Thompson also said anxiety is not a qualifying condition to use medical cannabis and other judges have also prohibited medical cannabis use to those on probation.
The state of Florida recently has worked at improving and increasing the reach of its medical cannabis program. The state’s Department of Health announced in February that it would open a new round of licensing for medical cannabis businesses with the intention of doubling the number of vertically integrated cannabis operators in the state.
“This is an exciting milestone for Florida’s medical cannabis program, more than five years in the making. These additional licenses are an important step in moving the program forward for Florida’s patients and future licensees,” said Courtney Coppola, a former director of the state’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use.
Medical cannabis was legalized in Florida in 2016 and lawmakers passed legislation the next year allowing for additional business licenses to be given out as the number of registered patients grows. According to statistics provided to the Florida House Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee Tallahassee by Director of the Office of Medical Marijuana Use, Christopher Kimball, active patient numbers have grown 71 percent in two years, from 455,425 patients in 2020 to 779,465 by the end of 2022. The number of qualified physicians with certifications grew from 102 in 2019-2020 to a total of 1,725 in 2022.
Cannabis has proven an effective alternative to opioids and other prescription drugs. A study from the United Kingdom also found cannabis was effective in improving quality of life in patients and reduced anxiety in patients following a six-month follow up.
Former professional wrestler Ric Flair, who recently partnered with Carma Holdings to create his own cannabis line, said cannabis edibles have helped him stop taking Xanax, which he said he had been addicted to since 1989.
“I had been approached before [about promoting cannabis], but it wasn’t ideal for my brand at that time since I was still wrestling and all that,” Ric Flair said. “But when I said, ‘Yeah, boy,’ it changed my life. I haven’t really smoked since I was 18 or 19 because I had asthma — that’s the only reason I didn’t, probably — but with edibles, now I’ve gotten off Xanax.”
