Florida is moving forward with a plan to outsource the state's Medical Marijuana ID cards.
A protest was filed against the decision. However, Florida's Surgeon General issued an immediate award of a contract Monday in order to avoid setbacks that could pose a danger to the public.
Identification cards for patients were part of a law signed by Gov. Rick Scott in June. The state revised the laws after voters last November passed a constitutional amendment allowing medical marijuana.
Patients who suffered from epilepsy, chronic muscle spasms, cancer and terminal conditions were allowed under laws Scott signed in 2014 and 2016 to receive either low-THC cannabis or full strength medical marijuana. Amendment 2 added people with HIV and AIDS, glaucoma, post-traumatic stress disorder, ALS, Crohn's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and similar conditions.
Nearly 264 patients are added per day to the Medical Marijuana registry.